Restoring Destiny
by watercrab
Summary: The war is over and peace won but at a cost. A spirit grants a depressed Katara a second chance. Can she restore the balance and find her destiny?
1. Chapter 1

**Another experiment! This time it's Katara centric, or trying to be! Tell me what you think!**

**Enjoy & Review!**

**Disclaimer:Do Not Own.**

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_I thought you have changed!_

Katara closed her eyes and tried to ignore the words that flooded her mind. She wished that she did not respond to Kuei's request. A single tear ran down her flawless face as she asked herself why she returned to the place that brought painful memories.

_I have changed!_

A sob escaped from her lips as she crumbled in front of the tiny altar. She did not remember the small stone structure but at the time, she was fighting to stay alive. She used the hem of her white robe to wipe her eyes.

It has been three months since the ending of the hundred year war. Three months of tentative peace for the world. Everyone found some form of peace except for her. There would never be peace for the master waterbender. Her peace shattered when she saw her good friend died. She saw hope crumbled when his lifeless body hit the ground. It was her fault that the world was in this delicate situation. It was her fault that he was dead to begin with.

She could not save Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation.

The events of the last three months replayed in her head in slow motion. Her mind screamed at her to move when Azula broke the rules of the Agni Kai. She watched in frozen horror as Zuko jumped in front of her. She screamed when his body dropped and Azula was preparing to attack. She fought the crazed princess and won but it was still was not enough to bring back Zuko. Her friends found her crying over his body when they returned to the Palace. The war was finally over but no one was joyous.

The funeral was held a couple of days later. In a cruel sense of irony, the funeral pyre was set up in the same court where the Agni Kai took place. Everyone wore white and Katara let Iroh, now Fire Lord, lean into her as the Fire Sage lit the pyre on fire and began reciting the final rites. Sometime during the funeral, Iroh began holding her up as she forced herself to watch Zuko's body go up in flames.

Then things went worst for the waterbender after the funeral. A war trial was set up against Azula and Katara was forced to explain what happened during the Agni Kai. She relived each agonizing detail as she told her story to the court. Azula was found guilty and was executed but the damage was already done for Katara. She wore only white and her hair never returned to the braid Servants would find her sitting in one of the courtyards staring at a family of turtle-ducks. She would wake up screaming during the night. The Palace healer's made the suggestion of sedation and Sokka gave his approval.

A few days later, she decided to visit Mai and asked for forgiveness. The gloomy girl did not want her apology and slapped her. She accused Katara for ruining her life and letting Zuko die. She also told her that she was worthless. The knife throwing girl even suggested that the waterbender should just kill herself because that would be the most honorable thing to do. Fire Lord Iroh heard about the altercation and put Katara on suicide watch just in case she did follow Mai's horrible advice.

Everything fell apart when Aang thought the best way for her to get over the depression was telling her that he loved her. He naturally assumed that she would snap out of it and declare her love to him. Sadly it was not the case. She slapped him when he told her and in a fit of anger, the foolish boy told her the reason why he originally could not get into the Avatar State. Screaming was heard throughout the Palace and Katara was dragged back to her room, leaving behind a heartbroken Avatar.

After the incident, Katara thought it would be a good idea for her to disappear for awhile until she was ready to face the world. Only wearing her white robe and her mother's necklace, she snuck out the middle of the night and ran away. Her mission was to go somewhere that did not remind her of the banished prince. The locations were limited but she found some relief in the Earth Kingdom.

She travelled by foot and offered her abilities as a healer to villages in need. She would stay in a village until something reminded her of Zuko. Sometimes it would be a pair of swords or a familiar scent of cayenne. She panicked in one village when she healed a little boy with a scar on his face. She left the village as soon as the child was healed. Rumors began to spread throughout the Earth Kingdom about the woman in white that was mourning the loss of her love and she did not have the heart to correct them.

Apparently the rumors spread all the way to Ba Sing Se. A guard on an ostrich-horse entered into a village that Katara was staying. He bowed to the young woman and announced that the Earth King requested her presence. She refused at first but the guard said that he would not leave unless she came with him. He continued on by saying that king had something he wanted to show her. Against her better judgment, Katara reluctantly agreed.

Traveling to Ba Sing Se was a nightmare. Hysteria grew as she approached the magnificent city. The poor guard had to pry her fingernails out of his arm when he tried to leave the throne room. She took a deep breath as she gave Kuei a formal bow but the gentle king scooped her into his arms and gave her a big hug. He offered his condolences and reassured her that no one knows that she was here. Seeing how tired she was from her travels, Kuei suggested she should relax and they would talk the following day.

The next morning, over a meal filled with meats and fruits, Kuei told her why he had searched for her. His historians had found an abandoned temple under the castle. She dropped her apple and stared at the Earth King with frighten eyes. The poor man could not understand her reaction until she explained what happened during the coup. He quickly apologized for causing her great distress and said that he would not even suggest it if he knew about it.

_This could be a good thing, though. Since you two had a connection down in the catacombs maybe the spirit would help you. Grant you peace._

Shaking Kuei's words out of her head, she slowly brought herself back to the present and tried to compose herself. A familiar scent of cayenne drifted towards her. "Oh La," she whimpered. "I can even smell him!"

She forced herself to study the tiny stone altar. The altar looked new not thousands of years old like it should be. She still could see the carvings of cranes and feathers. Her fingers traced over characters that could be a prayer to the spirit. Instead of the modern Earth Kingdom's characters, which were bold, these ancient characters were delicate. No one could translate the prayer but the historians were able to decipher the spirit's name.

The spirit was called Mayet. She was recognized in Earth Kingdom myths and legends as the spirit that judged a person to see if they were worthy or not. Earth Kingdom courts used her image as a representation of truth and balance. She was the spirit that everyone prays to when the world feels out of balance and chaos was coming. Kuei believed that the spirit could help Katara. She wondered if she could be helped.

"Spirit Mayet," she sobbed as she covered her face with her hands. "Please help a torture soul. My life has found chaos and I'm falling apart. I don't know how long I'll keep on living with all the guilt I have. I have been a good person but I don't know if I'm worthy. I have nothing to give but my virtue." She rested her head and arms on the altar. "I'll be your servant forever if you could grant me peace."

She continued to sob over the tiny altar. Her cries became gasping breaths as she struggled to breathe. After a long while, the master waterbender fell asleep. She was still kneeling in front of the altar while her head rested on the stone slab. Her face was red from the crying and sounds of whimpering were heard.

****

The spirit Mayet appeared not far from the altar. She was dressed in a black robe and was barefoot. Her long hair was blonde and her eyes sparkled like emeralds. She slowly approached the sleeping girl and sat on the altar. Her silvery hand caressed the soft brown curls. Katara did not stir from her spot while the figure continued to stroke her hair.

"I have heard your prayer, child of the moon," Mayet whispered as she looked down at the sleeping child. "You're not the only one that is suffering from chaos. The child of the sun's death was unexpected and created an unbalance world. You're a good and worthy person but sadly I cannot accept your sacrifice." She lifted her head and looked around the catacombs. "Your destiny is not to be my servant. The child of the sun's spirit is still in this room and I will give you a second chance. Restore the balance, child of the moon, and then you will have your peace."

Mayet gave Katara a smile and slowly disappeared. The tiny altar disappeared with her and the waterbender fell to the ground hitting her head.

****

"Peasant!" a voice called. It was harsh and scratchy but sounded very familiar. Katara stirred in her spot. Rough hands pushed her which resulted her opening her eyes. "Peasant, wake up!" It sounded like there was panic in the voice.

"What!" Katara shouted as she sat up. She let out a groan and held her head. It felt like she was hit by one of Toph's boulders. She wanted to hit the person that rudely woke her up. Her head shot up and was ready to give the person a full fledge ranting but a strangled sound came out instead. Sapphire eyes went wide at the person in front of her.

_It can't be!_ Tears began to form as she stared at the man dressed in green. His face held a mixture of fear, panic, worry, and relief as he stared back. She forced herself to swallow when her eyes focused on the very familiar scar on the left side of his face. _He's dead!_ She frantically looked around her surroundings. _Where's the altar?_ She looked at her body and her hands went to her hair. _Why am I wearing my blue robes? How come my hair is braided?_

"Finally," he scoffed and crossed his arms. "I didn't think you would wake up!"

"Pinch me," she sputtered as she thrust out her arm.

He raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Pinch me!" she yelled and shook her arm. "Just pinch me!"

"I think you hit your head."

"Damnit, Zuko! Just pinch my fucking arm!"

She hated to swear. Sokka swore when the mood strikes. Toph could make a sailor blush. Zuko made swearing look like an art. Aang thought it was a sin to swear. She had tried it a couple of times but to her, it sounded vulgar. Right now, though, she figured that swearing was the best way to describe how she felt. Completely lost and confused.

He flinched at her words and then quickly pinched her arm. "Ow!" she snapped and rubbed the spot that he pinched. "That hurts!" Her jaw dropped when she realized what she just said. _It hurts!_

"What did you expect?" he snorted.

She did not bother to answer the question. She quickly grabbed the firebender by the collar and pulled him in. Her lips crashed onto his and put every emotion into the kiss. She did not care that he went stiff under her lips or the ramifications later.

All she cared about was that Zuko was alive.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the great reviews! I can't believe I actually had to do some research for this chapter!**

**Enjoy & Review!**

**Disclaimer: Do Not Own.**

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Warm hands slowly crawled up her arms and gripped her shoulders. Katara was forcefully but gently pushed away from his lips. There was no sign of disgust on his face, only confusion. "What the fuck?" he asked breathlessly. His hands never left her shoulders.

She ignored the outburst and ran her hands all over his face. "It was only a dream," she cried out. "An awful dream!"

Zuko grabbed her hands and pulled them from his face. His amber eyes showed anger but his grip was not tight. "_Don't touch my face_," he growled.

Instead of being afraid, she let out a laugh. She did not care if she sounded crazy. The laughter quickly died when her skull pounded harder and became dizzy. His hands grabbed her shoulders again and pulled her into his chest. She winced when fingers were pressed into her temple.

"That's going to bruise," Zuko said softly. Katara felt her face going red by the gentle touch of the banished prince. Two fingers appeared in front of her face. "How many fingers am I showing?"

Irritated that she was being treated like a child by a boy who is only a year older than her, she let out a big huff. "Two," she grumbled as she grabbed his fingers and gave a little twist. He yelped at the action. "What happen to me?"

"You passed out," he answered as he pulled his fingers out of her grasp. "You were yelling at me then you fell to the ground." His eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. "How long have you been a captive to the Dai Li?" His voice went low as he growled out the question.

"A couple of hours," Katara answered quickly as she pulled away from his chest. She had seen Zuko angry in the past. _Wait, what past?_ "The Dai Li didn't touch me."

His shoulders relaxed from her comment and a harsh laugh was heard. "You think I _actually _care if the Dai Li touched you, peasant?"

She turned her head away from him, partly to control her anger and partly to cover her hurt. "Yes," she whispered as she remembered him begging for forgiveness. _Why did the dream felt so real? _"You do." She felt the uncomfortable silence in the catacombs and decided to change the subject. "What was I saying before I passed out?"

"Accusing me of setting a trap for the Avatar," Zuko said with a snort as he crossed his arms.

_Why did they throw you in here? ‌ Oh wait, let me guess, it's a trap. So when Aang shows up to rescue me, you can finally have him in your little Fire Nation clutches._

Katara's eyes widen when she heard her voice echoing in her head.

"You called me a terrible person."

_You're a terrible person, you know that? ‌ Always following us, hunting the Avatar, trying to capture the world's last hope for peace! But what do you care? ‌ You're the Fire Lord's son, spreading war and violence and hatred is in your blood! _

She shook her head as her voice kept yelling.

_You have no idea what this war has put me through, me personally! The Fire Nation took my mother away from me! _

"Then I told you that your nation took my mother away and passed out," Katara said finishing his story as she tried to cover her embarrassment. _Brilliant Katara! Can you be anymore full of yourself! _

Zuko's face went blank as he stared at her. "No," he said softly. "You passed out. You never mentioned anything about your mother." He paused to clear his throat. "I'm sorry to hear about your mother. That's something we both have in common."

Her head snapped back towards him. Her heat hammered into her chest as her mind processed the information. "That's not funny, Zuko," she said in pain. "I told you about my mother before I passed out!"

"Why would I joke about something like that?" he shouted and extended his arms. "Hell, I'm not even funny! You can even ask my uncle or Azula!"

Azula, the name sent cold chills throughout her body. She began to hyperventilate and Zuko crawled back to her side. He pushed her head towards her chest. "Breathe," he said with concern as he rubbed her back. His touch was gentle and soothing. "I don't want you passing out again."

Katara tried to calm herself down but she kept seeing flashes of blue lightning and the smell of burning flesh. Zuko's warm touch became cold when she thought about his body crumbling to the ground. She could hear Azula's deranged laughter over her own screams. "It was just a dream. Only a dream," she repeated her mantra. "It was an awful horrible dream. Nothing was real."

_Restore the balance, child of the moon, and then you will have your peace._

She froze. She thought she was dreaming when she heard those words. _How can I dream within a dream? _She raised her head up and looked around. She had been down in these catacombs before. She was down here by the request of a friend and down here as a captive. _Like now. Again._

_The child of the sun's spirit is still in this room and I will give you a second chance._

"It actually happened," she whispered and began to shake. "I was given a second chance." She looked at Zuko with concern. "Why?"

"Why… what?" Zuko asked just as softly. He brushed her loose hair loopy away. "What are you talking about?"

"I've been here before."

He wrinkled his nose and let out a low chuckle. "You're concussed."

Katara narrowed her eyes at him and turned away. Her mind reeled over the fact that spirit Mayet have given her a second chance. The spirit had found her worthy and presented her the opportunity to save Zuko's life. _At what cost? _

"We have to get out of here," he said breaking her train of thought. She watched him stood up and looked around the catacombs. "There has to be way to get out."

"There's no way to get out," she muttered as she slowly stood up. Zuko reached out and grabbed her arm when she started to wobble. "Unless you're an earthbender or the Avatar."

"The Avatar," he snorted with disdain and gripped her arm. "For once in my life, I wished he never showed up in this stupid town! I was actually becoming happy! My life was starting to have a purpose!"

She cringed when she heard the disgust in his voice. She never considered that the banished prince was giving up his mission to restore his honor. She never let him have a chance to explain why he was in Ba Sing Se. It quickly dawned on her that it was _her_ fault that he was down here the first place. "I'm sorry, Zuko."

"For what?"

"I'm the one that told Azula that you were here."

He released his grip on her arm. He took a step back and looked at her with surprise and hurt. "Why?" he gasped. "Why would you tell that bitch I was here?"

"I thought she was someone else!" she defended. "I panicked, okay? I saw you at a teashop and I thought you were after Aang! I thought I was doing the right thing!"

"Don't you ever think that maybe I gave up that life?" he snarled and began pacing around. "Of course not!" He let out a cruel laugh. "You probably think since I'm the Fire Lord's son that I like to spread hatred and violence all over the world!" He stopped his pacing. "Well guess what, peasant! I'm not like my father!"

"Of course you're not your father!" Katara screamed as she stood her ground. The next words came out of her mouth before she had a chance to stop them. "You are a kind and caring man! You have more honor than Ozai, Azulon, and Sozin put together!" Blue eyes widen as she clasped her hand over her mouth. _Idiot! He's going to believe that you're crazy or mocking him!_

Zuko paused and stared at her. "Who _are_ you?" he asked as he raised his eyebrow.

"You wouldn't even believe me if I told you," she muttered.

"Try me."

"What's going to happen to you?"

He let out a defeated sigh. The old Zuko would never let himself become defeated. "I'm a traitor to my country," he answered. "Azula would send me back to the Palace and I would be executed. With my luck, she'll probably do the execution."

Katara felt her mouth going dry. "And you're just letting it happen?" She swallowed. "You never give up!"

"You don't understand peasant," Zuko spat.

"Katara."

"What?"

"My _name_ is Katara," she said. "It's not peasant or waterbender, just Katara."

"Fine," he growled. "_Katara_, you don't understand."

"Enlighten me."

"If I give Azula what she wants," he said grimly. "Then Uncle would be safe."

"How would you know?" she pleaded. "Zuko, we both have dealt with Azula! She wouldn't stop until she gets Iroh!"

"How do you my uncle?"

She purposely ignored his question. "Aang needs a firebending teacher," she said. "Join us."

He let out a laugh. "You're kidding, right?" He paused and looked at her. "You're actually serious!" He gaped at her. "Why me? I'm not that great of a firebender! Uncle is the master firebender."

"Iroh can join us but you have to be the one that teaches Aang," she replied. "You're better than you think."

"What makes you think that I want to join the Avatar?"

"Because you want this war to be over and have the throne."

Zuko smirked and crossed his arms. "I can do that by joining Azula."

Katara placed her hands on her hips. "You know that Azula would betray you within a second," she countered.

He turned his head and studied the crystals that were growing from the wall. She watched in fascination how his black hair fell forward covering his face. His head snapped back and stared at her. "What's in it for you?"

She blinked at his question. "What?"

"What's in it for you?" he repeated the question.

"I don't understand."

"Why are you so determined?" He walked up to her. "Is this some kind of trap?" He leaned forward and their noses touched. "Or something more?"

Katara answered each question in her head. _I'm trying to save you! No! I… don't know!_ She stared deep into his eyes and noticed how brown they are. "There's nothing in it for me," she challenged. "Aang needs a firebending teacher." She decided to dangle his obsession in front of his face. "You need your honor."

His eyes flashed gold for a second before turning back to the amber color. "The Avatar is willing to let me join? After what I have done?"

"I'll convince him," she said confidently. She felt resentment growing in her as she thought about the young monk. She remembered the words that were exchanged after he told her that he loved her.

_I don't understand Katara! I told you that I love you!_

_And you think that telling me would fix everything? Guess what Aang! Zuko's still dead!_

_Did you love him?_

_I don't know! Now, I would never know!_

She should feel disgusted with herself for abusing Aang's feelings towards her.

"Fine," Zuko answered. "I'll teach the Avatar firebending."

"Thank you Zuko," she whispered and cupped his cheek. "You're doing the right thing."

She watched Zuko closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. It was very similar to the last time when she offered to heal his scar. All she needed was Aang and Iroh bursting through the wall to rescued them. Instead she felt her feet being encased into the ground and being pulled away from the firebender. She waved her hands trying to pull the water out of the air but stone hands covered her own and pulled them together creating handcuffs. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Zuko was in the same position as her.

She stopped struggling in her bounds when she heard the familiar confident sound of leather boots. Her heart began to pound as she watched Azula walked towards them. Her grin was sinister and her gold eyes flashed hatred. "Brother," she crooned as she walked up to Zuko. Her long red nails tapped his chest. "Welcome back!"

Zuko tried to move in his confinement. "Azula," he growled.

"I hope the Dai Li made you comfortable," Azula said as she inspected her nails. "They planned everything for you." She glanced at Katara. "Including giving you a toy to play with."

_Toy?_ Katara struggled in her bounds as she glared at the princess. "Why don't you say that to my face, bitch!" she spat.

"Oh Zuzu, she's a feisty little peasant!" Azula laughed as she walked up to Katara. She gave a glance over before grabbing Katara's face with her hand. "You don't talk to me like that!"

She flinched as she felt the princess's nails dug into her skin. "I can talk to you any way I want!" She let out a yelp when Azula slapped her.

"Azula!" Zuko shouted and lunged forward. "Let her go!"

"Why?" Azula asked in mocked innocence. "She's the Avatar's friend. Everyone in this room knows that he's coming to save her." She pressed a finger to her chin and pretended to think. "I know a way for you to get back on father's good graces, help me get the Avatar."

"Go to hell!" Zuko sneered. "You know damn well that father wouldn't take me back!"

"Maybe," Azula shrugged and walked away. "But you never know."

"I'm not helping you!"

Azula snapped her fingers. "You say that now," she laughed. "But I think I can make you change your mind."

Katara saw the wall opening and a figure slowly entered. The figure was dressed in black and the face was hidden by the hood. The figure's movement flashed something in her mind.

_Why don't you do something honorable, peasant! Kill yourself! Take this knife and plunge it into your heart! Then maybe I'll forgive you!_

"No," she whispered. "Please don't let it be her."


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the great reviews! **

**Enjoy & Review!**

**Disclaimer: Do Not Own.**

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"_Mai_," Zuko snarled when he saw the figure.

"Zuko," Mai replied in her monotone voice as she removed the hood.

"Enough with the pleasantries," Azula snapped as she glared at the gloomy girl. "I want you to convince Zuzu to help us get the Avatar."

Mai yawned and pulled out a knife. "That's all?" she said in a bored tone. "I was hoping for something more exciting."

"Seriously Azula?" Zuko yelled as he struggled in his confinement. "You're going to cut me up? I'm disappointed!"

A Cheshire grin grew on the princess's face. "Who said it was going to be you?"

Katara knew her face went white when Mai began walking towards her. The knife spun on a delicate finger and the look that the gloomy girl gave was pure hatred. She struggled in her bounds but she knew her attempts were feeble. She flinched when Mai grabbed her face and ran the tip of the blade across her jaw. The blade did not cut her skin but it reminded her that the weapon was razor sharp.

"Stop!" he shouted and lunged forward again. "Leave her out of it!"

Something flickered in the knife throwing girl's eyes. "You seem pretty attached to this peasant, Zuko."

A scream echoed through the catacombs and Katara realized it was her own. She never saw the girl attack but now her arm was hurting. She felt a wetness growing on her skin and she knew it was blood.

"Azula!" Zuko yelled. "Stop this right now!"

"There's one way to stop this," she said with delight.

This time Katara saw the blade cutting her other arm and another scream pierced through the air.

"Mai! Please!" Zuko pleaded. "You don't have to do this! Just walk away!"

"Why?" she asked as she let the knife cut Katara's arm again. "I'm having fun."

Katara let out a gargle when the knife plunged into her right side. Her surroundings became fuzzy as she felt herself crumbled to the ground. The cavern exploded around her, releasing her hands and feet from their bounds. There was screaming but she could not make out the owners of the voices. Warm hands dragged her away from the source of the noise. Her back hit a cool wall and a hand was pressed to her side. She raised her head up to see Zuko looking down at her. The panic was evident on his face.

"Don't move," he whispered as he began removing his outer robe. He bunched up the material and placed it on the wound. "The puncture wound is deep."

She winced when pressure was added. "What happened?"

"The Avatar and my uncle burst through," Zuko answered and checked her arms. "From there, everything became chaotic."

Katara closed her eyes and concentrated on the injury on her side. The knife missed some important organs but she knew the wound was bad. She was going to bleed to death if the bleeding did not stop. She snapped awake when she felt a hand slapping her face.

"Don't close your eyes!" Zuko pleaded as he grabbed her face. "You're going to be alright!"

_You're a lousy liar, Zuko._

The blasting and the yelling became muffled and her sight dimmed. Fear consumed her and she grabbed his wrist. "The Avatar created a dome," he explained softly. "We're safe." He looked over his shoulder. "For now."

"Katara!" Aang yelled out frantically. She saw the bald head with the blue arrow peering over Zuko's shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Aang," Katara said weakly as she tried to sit up. She winced when her side exploded in pain.

"What did you do to her?" Aang yelled at Zuko as he pushed the firebender away. "You hurt her!"

Anger brewed in her as she stared at the young monk. She hated him when he told her the reason why he could not go into the Avatar State. She despised him on his jealously over Zuko. She loathed him that he expected her to love him back. She blinked back the angry tears as he hovered over her. She wanted to slap him. She wanted him to feel the pain that she went through before being transported back to this hell.

"I didn't do anything, Avatar!" Zuko shouted and moved to her side. She gasped when she felt the firm pressure of his hand returning to her side. "Azula did all of this! I was in the same situation as her!"

"Then why aren't you hurt?" Aang shouted back and then turned to her. "Please don't die Katara!"

"I don't know!" Zuko growled.

"Boys," a serene voice called out and Katara almost wept in joy. She smiled when she saw Iroh's gentle face illuminated by the flame in his hand. "Fighting does not help this young woman." He kneeled next to Zuko and pulled his hand away from the wound. He inspected the wound before placing the hand back. "Nephew, did Miss Mai use a poison tip?"

"No, I…I don't think so. Then again, I didn't know she used knives."

"Katara's a healer," Aang offered brightly. "She tried to heal you when Azula attacked you." She saw the dirty look that was given to Zuko.

"There's no water, young Avatar," Iroh said as he looked around. "Unless your friend can do the impossible and pull water out of thin air."

_You want to bet?_

Aang was thoughtful for a moment then suddenly he snapped his fingers. "The spirit water! Katara, you still have the spirit water. Don't you?"

"Yes it's around my neck but I'm supposed to save it for an emergency," she said in a weak protest. _Like you or Zuko._

Zuko let out a snort. "You don't call this an emergency?"

"You have water from the Spirit Oasis?" Iroh whispered in awe.

"Master Pakku gave it to her," Aang said with pride. "After we defeated the Fire Nation."

"That's nice," Zuko said through clenched teeth. "But we have more pressing matters here!"

Aang flinched at the comment and then reached for her neck. She felt his hands unclasping the silver chain. Iroh's eyes went wide when Aang pulled the vial away from her. "Amazing," he said. "Can you heal her, Avatar?"

"No," Aang responded and hung his head down. "Katara is the only one that can heal."

"I can do it," she said in a weak voice. She frowned when she saw that all three were going to protest. "I just need someone to guide my hand to the wound. It will take almost all my energy."

The rock dome began to shake and Zuko was the first to cover her body with his. Aang made an earthbending move to strengthen the dome. Laughter was heard from the outside. "Two of us would have to protect you," Iroh said as he stood up. "I'll go and fight against my niece."

"I'll go with you," Zuko offered and stood up.

"No!" Her hand reached out and grabbed the hem of his tunic. She ignored the hurt look from Aang's face. "Stay with me, please?"

Confusion crossed his face before he nodded his head. "Of course."

"Avatar," Iroh said as he turned to him. "We must draw attention to ourselves so your friend could heal herself."

"Alright," Aang said with a sigh. He gave Katara a small smile. "Get better," he said. "We need you."

She watched Aang and Iroh walked to the wall of the dome. Aang took a deep breath and bended the wall opened. A blast of fire appeared and Iroh deflected with a wall of flames. The wall closed up behind them. Zuko snapped his fingers and a small flame appeared on his index finger.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked, his voice cracked a little bit.

Her hand went to her sash and tugged at the knot. "I need help opening my robe." She saw the blush that was appearing on his face. "I need to touch the wound so it can heal," she reasoned.

Zuko made sure that she was sitting up properly before he helped her undo the knot. The blush continued to grow on his face and she began to feel her face becoming hot. _He has seen me in my bindings before,_ she told herself in weak reassurance. She gasped when the cold air hit her exposed skin.

"Now what?" he asked as he pushed the robe open. He was careful not to tug on the sleeves because of the knife wounds.

"Open the vial," she said through gritted teeth. She noticed that his free hand was shaky as he fumbled with the vial.

Once the vial was opened, Katara waved her left hand and the water slowly flowed out. It swirled around her hand before it shaped into a glove. "Take my hand," she said as she concentrated on the water form. "And place it on the wound."

The flame went out when he reached for her hand. He let out a gasp when the water spread and covered his hand. Very slowly, he dragged her hand to her right side. Another gasp was heard when the water began glowing bright blue. "Is it supposed to do that?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered as she leaned back into the rock with her eyes closed. "Just don't let go."

It was an interesting feeling to have the spirit water healing her. The water was very cool and soothing. She could feel it spreading through her veins and it energized her. She wondered if Aang felt this when she healed him from Azula's attack. Fear gnawed at her when she thought about him. The spirit water saved his life the last time and now it was saving hers. _Please don't die Aang! The world needs you!_ As soon as it started, the cooling sensation ended. Her side became very wet and her hand was pulled away. The flame reappeared and she felt his hand running along her side, checking to see if it healed.

"Wow," Zuko said as he inspected her side before pulling her robe closed. "I can't believe that the water healed everything, including your arms."

Katara glanced at her arms and let out a groan. The sleeves of her robe were in tatters but her arms did not have any scars. "I'm going to kick your girlfriend's ass," she grumbled as she knotted the sash. "I remembered liking this robe."

"She's not my girlfriend," he snapped as he helped her to her feet.

She knew she gave him a look of shock because he raised an eyebrow at her. Zuko _was_ dating Mai. Sokka told her when the boys returned from Boiling Rock. She asked him about it after they found her mother's killer. She remembered him hesitating when she asked him if he would return to the gloomy girl. His answer was that he would because he cared about Mai. Sometimes she wondered if he was convincing himself.

"I didn't mean to insult you," she quickly apologized. She wanted to continue with her apology but Aang burst through the dome and smacked into the opposite wall. "Aang!" she called out as she ran up to him. "Are you alright?"

Aang rubbed his head and gave a smile. "I'm fine," he reassured. "The Dai Li caught me off guard." He looked at her with happiness. "I'm glad that you're alright."

"Where's my uncle, Avatar?" Zuko asked urgently.

"Fighting Azula," Aang answered. "I managed to immobilize the girl that likes to throw knives. The Dai Li, on the other hand, are a problem."

Everyone jumped out of the way when a boulder came through the hole that Aang crashed through. Katara heard Zuko's unearthly growl and Aang's surprise squeak when the boulder landed too close to them. The three looked at each other and Zuko was the first one to react. His hands erupted in flames.

"I'm going to help my uncle," Zuko growled and ran towards the wall. With amazing agility he launched himself through the opening.

Katara grabbed Aang's arm. "Come on!" she cried out. "We have to help them!"

Aang refused to move. "Why?" he asked. "Zuko is going to chase us again."

"No!" she exclaimed. "He's going to help us!"

"We should leave now while Azula is distracted."

Anger boiled in her body. She could not believe that Aang, of all people, would suggest walking away when people might die. She removed her hand from Aang's arm. "If that's what you believe is right."

"It is right," Aang urged.

"Then go. I'm going to stay and help Zuko."

"Katara…"

She cut him off. "If you're not going to help Zuko and Iroh, then help me." She stormed to the stone wall. "Open the wall."

Aang let out a defeated sigh and rooted himself into the ground. With a grunt, he spread his arms wide and the wall opened with ease. She rushed through the opening, preparing herself for a deadly battle.

"Get down!" Zuko's raspy voice yelled out.

She instantly ducked and rolled to her right. A large blue fireball missed her and impacted into the dome's wall. Dust and smoke mixed in the air causing her to lose sight of her surroundings. She could hear Azula's manic laughter and Zuko's growling. She held her breath as she tried to listen for the Dai Li. She could hear the rustling of robes and then a distinct whistling sound.

Something was being thrown and she can only guess it was a boulder.

"Katara!" Aang shouted and produced a gust of air. The wind carried the dust and smoke away but it also blew the waterbender towards the cavern wall.

_I'm really getting tired of being saved!_ Katara thought as her back hit the wall. She quickly recovered and was able to dodge the rocks that were being thrown. _It's time show everyone that I'm not helpless!_ She swung her arm in a wide arc and out of thin air sharp icicles appeared. With a point of a finger, the icicles imbedded into a stone object with a Dai Li agent attached to it. Ice covered their hands and their feet froze to the ground. She gave a deadly smirk and ran towards Aang who successfully immobilized an agent.

"Thanks Aang," she said as she reached her friend. Water trailed behind her waiting for her next move.

Aang gave her a strange look. "When did you learn to pull water out of thin air?"

She did not answer the question. "Where did Zuko and Iroh go?" she asked as she scanned the catacombs. She saw that Mai and the Dai Li agents were still bounded in their restraints but Azula was nowhere to be found.

"They followed Azula," he answered and pointed to an entrance that was created by the Dai Li.

The opening led her to a spacious room that had reflecting pools. Images flashed through her mind from the last time they were in this room. Azula almost killed Aang while he was going into the Avatar State and Zuko betrayed her trust. _Not this time, _she thought to herself. _I'm not letting that happen again._ She could not stop the uneasiness growing in her as she ran to the next room.

She had a horrible feeling that someone was going to die.

As she approached the battle between family members, Katara saw how strong Azula was. The princess was outnumbered but she still continued to fight. Iroh stumbled a little and the old man was favoring his right side. Zuko was trying to get to his uncle but Azula was stopping him by hurling fireballs. Katara tried to get to Iroh but the princess stopped her with a blast of fire.

"I don't think so, peasant!" she sneered as she prepare another fireball. "This is a family issue."

"Back down, Azula!" Zuko shouted and fired a fireball. "You're seriously outnumbered!"

A maniacal laugh echoed through the catacombs. "Me? Outnumbered?" she laughed. "You must be joking!" With another laugh, the princess thrust her fist forward and a stream of fire escaped.

Katara practically scream when she saw the fire hurling towards Zuko but the firebender managed to deflect the attack by waving his arms up creating a wall of fire. The move looked eerily familiar and it took her a second to realize what it was. _That's a waterbending move!_ Her mind reeled with the realization. _Where did he learn that?_

A flash of pink brought her back to reality. She turned her head towards the color and saw Ty Lee cartwheeling towards her. She created a water whip and snapped it towards the acrobat. A shriek was heard and the girl tumbled backwards.

"Great hit, Katara!" Aang shouted as he ran towards Iroh.

She let out a grunt and hurried towards Zuko. The banished prince was breathing heavily and sweat beaded on his forehead. He gave a surprise look when he saw her approaching him. "You should get out of here!" he growled.

"Nice to see you too," Katara snapped. She created a wall of water when Azula attacked again. Steam erupted when the flame hit the water giving everyone in the cavern a small reprieve.

"I can handle this."

"I know you can," she agreed. "But I just saw Ty Lee and you need someone to watch your back."

"I have to go to my uncle."

"Aang's with him, he's safe."

Through the foggy haze, she saw Zuko giving her a perplex look. "Why are you helping me?"

Katara let out a heavy sigh. "I told you," she said slowly. "Aang's needs a firebending teacher and you're it." She let out a gasp and pushed Zuko out of the way. "Look out!" A large fireball went past them.

Azula let out a cackle. "You're pathetic Zuzu," she giggled. "You're letting a peasant help you!"

The waterbender had enough of the princess's retorts. Creating ice daggers from the water of a nearby pool, she hurled them at Azula. The princess narrowly missed each one but the last one grazed her cheek. Stunned, Azula touched her cheek and frowned when she saw the blood.

"You're so dead, you stupid peasant!" she shouted as she began moving her arms in wide circles.

Katara felt like she was transported back to the Palace when she recognized Azula's movements. The static in the air crackled as Azula controlled the power of the electricity in her hands. Her heart pounded in her chest as her mind screamed at her to move. But she could not, fear and panic froze her. _This is it,_ she thought. _I'm going to die._

Azula fired the lightning towards her and Katara quickly closed her eyes. She felt the familiar heat of someone and she forced herself to open her eyes. Her heart stopped when she saw Zuko's back. Tears pooled in her eyes as she felt her world crashing again. _I've failed. I was given another chance and I blew it!_ She could not see the lightning bolt but she heard it coming towards them. Instead of Zuko dropping to the ground like the last time, a brilliant blue glow surrounded him. She heard him grunt as he collected the power of the lightning and watched him swing his left arm towards Azula. The lightning escaped from his hand and Azula barely had enough time to jump out of the way. The lightning blasted the spot where she was standing.

Katara felt the cavern went still. The only sound she could hear was Zuko's heavy breathing.

Azula was the first to speak. "Impossible," she whispered. "You can't do that!" she screamed. "I'm supposed to be better than you!"

"You want to try that again?" Zuko taunted and prepared himself for the next attack. His arms shake from the electricity charging through him.

Ty Lee caught Katara's attention again. The acrobat was running fast and then launched in the air. She bounced back and forth on each stalactite with practiced ease. Katara tried to knock the girl out of the air with water whips but Ty Lee's movements were too quick for her. The acrobat landed right between Katara and Zuko.

"Bitch," she growled, the frown distorting her pretty face. Katara was shocked by the language by the acrobat. She never heard Ty Lee swear, the girl was supposed to be naturally happy. "You gave me a bruise!"

Ty Lee's hand went forward and before Katara had a chance to react, her fingers expertly pressed into her shoulders and neck. Her body went limp and collapse to the ground. She heard Aang screamed her name and saw the look of outrage on Zuko's face. He swung his fist but the acrobat flipped her body over Zuko and landed behind him. Ty Lee wrapped her arm around his throat and squeezed. The banished prince tried to struggle out her grasp but the tiny girl was stronger than him.

"You've been a pain in my ass," Katara heard Ty Lee hissed at Zuko. "You made me leave the circus to find you!"

"You could always say no to Azula," he managed to gasp out.

Ty Lee ignored his comment and tightened her hold around his neck. "It's time to take away your honor!"

"No!" Katara yelled out as she helplessly watched Ty Lee pounded Zuko's back with precise movements.

The acrobat released his neck and let Zuko dropped to the ground. She blew him a kiss and backflip to Azula. "He won't be fighting back, Princess," she cheerfully replied.

"Perfect," Azula smirked. "I like it when the playing field is uneven."

"You're going down, Azula!" Aang shouted and began charging towards her.

"I don't think so, Avatar," she replied and snapped her fingers. The cavern began to rumble and out of nowhere more Dai Li agents appeared. "Dai Li," she ordered. "Free your comrades and attack the Avatar. The traitor and the peasant are mine!"

The cavern began to shake causing everyone to lose their balance. A wall exploded and two figures were seen running into the room. The dust clouded the room and Katara had to narrow her eyes to see who the people are.

"Toph!" she cried out and started to cough. "Sokka!" she managed to wheezed out.

"What are you waiting for?" Azula shouted as she tried to get to her feet. "Get them! Kill them! I want the Avatar alive!"

The battle started again without Katara. She lay on the ground struggling to move her limbs but the acrobat successfully paralyzed her. She also felt the uneasy feeling of her blocked chi and she knew that she could not waterbend. Zuko managed to crawl to her and pulled her into his arms.

A stone wall appeared behind Zuko and she knew that Toph was nearby. She heard the blind girl grunted followed by a couple of grown men screaming and then silence. She did not want to know what Toph did to the Dai Li agents but she had a hunch that they would not be bothering them for awhile.

"Katara!" Sokka shouted as he rushed to her. "Are you okay?" He noticed Zuko sitting next to her. "Why is he here?" Zuko only growled at Sokka. "Why are you touching my sister?"

"No time to chat," Toph said as she stomp the ground. Columns of dirt appeared under the Dai Li, launching them into the air. "We need to get out of here!"

Aang and Iroh fought their way to the group. "There's too many of them!" Aang shouted as he deflected Mai's knives.

"We need a distraction," Sokka yelled back as he threw his boomerang. The weapon went wide and somehow hit Ty Lee in the back of her head. The acrobat crumbled to the ground. "Yes!" he cheered as the weapon returned. "Way to go boomerang!"

"She can't move!" Zuko shouted as he shielded Katara from the debris. "Ty Lee immobilized her!"

"Great," Toph muttered and cracked her knuckles. "We need a miracle!"

"We have the Avatar," Iroh suggested as he threw a fireball at Mai.

"Close enough," Sokka said through clenched teeth. He threw his boomerang and the weapon missed everyone. "Aang, we need you to go all glowly!"

Katara saw Aang stilled for a second. _Please let me go!_ _I'm not worth it!_

"Give it up, Avatar," Azula sneered as she began moving her hands around. "I'll show your friends mercy if you surrender." She paused for a second. "Well except for my brother, traitors are supposed to die."

Aang let out a huge sigh. "Toph, we need to create a dome!" He widened his stance and thrust his arms down.

"You got it!" Toph answered and stomp her foot. Rocks began to grow around them. Katara saw a flash of lightning and heard a groan before the walls enclosed them in, putting them in darkness.

"What now?" Sokka asked through the darkness.

"It's going to take a minute," Aang called out. "Just make sure the dome doesn't collapse, Toph."

Katara heard some shuffling and then someone sitting down. Rocks slammed into the walls, shaking the structure. Toph let out a grunt and slid her foot. The dome stopped shaking. "I hope Twinkles hurry up! I don't think I can hold this for long."

"We need light," Sokka said. "Jerkbender, make a flame."

Zuko mumbled a curse and she heard his fingers snapping but there was no flame. "I can't bend," he whispered. "She took away my bending!"

"Great," Sokka was heard muttering. "We have a useless firebender!"

"Shut up peasant!"

"Stop!" Katara shouted at the boys. "We can't distract Aang!" She took a deep breath and lowered her voice. "Iroh? Can you make a light?"

There was silence.

"Uncle!" Zuko called out. "Standing in the dark while Azula is attacking is not considered romantic! We need some light!"

More silence.

"Uncle?" he asked, his voice was barely above a whisper. Katara could feel his body trembling against hers.

"He's not in here," Toph said quietly. "I don't feel his heartbeat."

"He should be in here," Sokka said sounding confused. "He was standing nearby."

"This is not funny, Uncle!"

The familiar blue glow of Aang's tattoos lit up the makeshift shelter. She let out a yelp when Zuko's fingernails dug into her skin. She looked up and saw the right side of his face. The glow gave his pale face a blue hue and his good eye was open wide. He was breathing hard as if he was struggling to control himself.

"Oh…man," Sokka was heard whispering. "I'm sorry."

"Zuko?" she asked as she winced from the pressure of his fingers.

"She got Uncle," he whispered hoarsely. "The bitch got Uncle!"

Katara followed his gaze and let out a huge gasp. Lying on the ground was Iroh, his eyes were open and smoke came off his chest. The friendly gold eyes were completely lifeless. Zuko handed her to Sokka and immediately went to the body. He dropped to his knees and collapsed over the old man. Soft sobbing was heard as tears prick her eyes.

_No, he wasn't supposed to die!_ She felt the tears roll down her eyes. Sokka hugged her tighter as she began to weep._ He's all that Zuko had!_ She felt the blast of air as Aang started to go into the Avatar State and heard Sokka giving orders to Toph. Her eyes never left Zuko as he mourned for his uncle.

It felt like the Agni Kai all over again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow, I was expecting hate mail with that last chapter!!!!! Thanks for the excellent reviews!**

**Enjoy & Review!**

**Discliamer:Do Not Own.**

* * *

_A man should never out live his sons._

Pine was used instead of a fragrant incense to mask the scent but the smell of burning flesh would forever be branded in her mind. She kept her eyes on Zuko while the pyre burned. It was her way to tell herself that he was not in the enflamed wood pile. She relished the pain that was coming from her hand when he grabbed it and squeezed.

_He went through a lot challenges in his young life but he succeeded. He was lost a couple of times but he never gave up._

It became too much for her. Memories of the old past fought with the new present. She quickly went to her feet once she regained full control of her body. She did not care that she darted into the forest during the funeral.

She needed to get away.

She needed to breathe.

_This is what was waiting for him? Death? I should be the one that everyone is mourning for! I should be the one that is burning on the pyre!_

She ran blindly through the woods. Branches slapped her face and bushes tore at her robe. She ignored the voices that called out her name. She ran deeper into the forest not caring if she got lost in the surroundings.

_But I know he will be waiting for me when I pass. He will be standing there next to Agni with my son, my beloved wife, and his mother. That will be my motivation to do well in this world so I will be able to crossover to the next._

Her stomach turned and she dropped to her knees. She continued to crawl until the urge to vomit overpowered her. She retched into the bushes until everything that was in her stomach was on the ground. Her body shook and fingernails dug into the ground as she spit acid out of her mouth.

"Why?" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "Why did he have to die? He wasn't supposed to die!"

"It was the Dragon's destiny."

Katara snapped her head up and found herself peering into sparkling green eyes. She let out a shriek as she fell backwards onto her bottom. "It wasn't his destiny!" she cried out as she tried to crawl away from the stranger.

The kneeling woman smiled. "The Dragon always knew that his life would end at Ba Sing Se."

"No," Katara answered as she shook her head. "His destiny was to take back Ba Sing Se! He told us at the campsite before the war ended!"

The green eyes shifted downwards. "He lied to you."

The waterbender felt the bile rising up again. She turned to her side and purged the remaining contents of her stomach. She gasped and choked as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. A feathery light touch caressed her cheek and she looked up. The woman somehow moved in front of her without making a sound.

"You are in shock, child of the moon," the woman whispered as she continued to stroke Katara's cheek. "You must calm down."

_Child of the moon_. Sapphire eyes widen when she heard the name. "Spirit Mayet." She quickly bowed in front of the spirit. "Please forgive me."

"There's no need to bow, child of the moon," Mayet ordered and gently brought the girl to her knees. "There's no need to ask for forgiveness."

Katara stared at the spirit with curiosity. Her long hair was in a beautiful shade of gold. Her robe was the color of the richest black. Her skin was silvery and it glowed from the moonlit sky. The captivating thing about her was her eyes. They were the color of emeralds and they sparkled like the jewels themselves. Besides the breathtaking color, the eyes also showed serenity and knowledge. Just gazing into them brought the waterbender peace and understanding.

"Why am I not forgiven?" she asked once she found her tongue.

"Why forgive when none is needed?" Mayet asked sagely and slowly rose to her feet.

_That sounded like Iroh_. She shook her head. "I…I don't understand."

"The child of the sun's death was unexpected," the spirit answered as she looked down at the kneeling waterbender. "His destiny was to start an era of peace within the mortal world. His death created chaos and uncertainty. Also it created unfinished destinies, such as the Dragon's and yours."

"Mine?"

Mayet let out a soft sigh. "Ba Sing Se was the crossroads," she explained. "Chaos started when the wrong path was chosen. Even though the right path was chosen much later, the damage was already done."

"Let me get this straight," Katara stated as she rubbed her head. "Aang reaching the Avatar State and Zuko joining us should have happened in Ba Sing Se?"

"Correct," the spirit said as she nodded.

"Then why me?"

"You have a strong connection with the child of the sun. That is why I'm giving you this second chance."

Katara stared at the ground before she looked up to the spirit. "What is my destiny?"

"You'll figure it out during your travels," Mayet smirked.

"Is Aang going to die?" She felt tremendous relief when she saw the spirit shaking her head. "Has this happen before?"

"Restoring the balance?" Mayet asked and Katara nodded her head. "It has happened twice; one to save a kingdom and the other to protect a lineage. Though, the chosen were never in your situation."

"My situation?" Katara asked as she shuddered over the word _chosen_.

"You still have your memories," she replied. "The others did not have that luxury."

"You call this a luxury?" Katara snorted in disbelief. "I'm going crazy with remembering the past."

"Your memories will help you," the spirit persisted. "They are the stepping stones of your destiny."

"Katara!" a voice echoed through the woods.

The waterbender looked over her shoulder. "My friends are looking for me."

"Just remember child of the moon," Mayet said as she walked towards the edge of the forest. "This is the only chance to protect the child of the sun. If he dies again, then the world would be in turmoil until the next airbending Avatar."

"Wait!" she called out to the retreating spirit. "Aang's the last airbender!"

Mayet looked over her shoulder and gave a smile. "For now," she answered and disappeared.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Mean what?" the voice asked. "I was just calling out your name."

Katara spun her head around and saw Aang standing behind her. Anger and shame fought with her as she stared at the airbender. She was still angry at him for the way he expected her to love him. She was ashamed that she was angry at the _wrong_ Aang.

"Are you okay?" Aang asked as he moved next to her. He handed her a waterskin which she happily accepted. "You looked a little green when you darted into the woods."

She rinsed her mouth out before answering his question. "I never want to witness another Fire Nation funeral."

"This one was a little crude," he admitted as he sat down next to her. "But I thought Sokka did a good job lighting it."

"A burning body still smells like a burning body," she muttered as she recalled Zuko's funeral.

Aang raised an eyebrow at her. "Is everything alright?" he asked as he grabbed her hand. She instantly flinched at the touch. He saw the reaction. "Have I done something wrong?"

Everything was a blur when Aang went into the Avatar State. There was screaming and flashes of light and the next thing she knew she was escaping on Appa with Iroh's body lying in the middle of the saddle. As the mighty beast flew away, she watched helplessly as Ba Sing Se fell into the Fire Nation's hands.

Again.

"No," she sniffed as she slowly pulled her hand out of his. _How can I explain something when I don't even understand it?_ "You haven't done anything wrong."

There was silence and then the young monk let out a heavy sigh. "I…I have to tell you something."

_Please don't!_ She pleaded in her mind. _Please don't say what I think you're going to say!_

Since he could not read minds, Aang ignored her silent pleas and continued on. "When I was learning to go into the Avatar State," he said slowly, refusing to look at her. "I was told to let go of all earthly possessions, including the things that I love."

"Aang…"

"Let me finished," he said as he cut her off. "At first I refused to do so because I love you but when we were in the catacombs fighting for our lives, I realized that my love for you wasn't worth seeing everyone die." He made another heavy sigh. "My love for you was holding me back and it was selfish desire. I should love the world not just one person in it."

Katara knew that she looked stupid just sitting there with her jaw open but her mind whirled over what he just said. Aang finally looked at her and gave a soft laugh as he closed her mouth. _There's something about him that's different_, she thought as she studied her friend. _He looks wiser and older._ She stared into his grey eyes. They did not hold the youthful cheerfulness like they used to. They are serene and knowledgeable, very similar to spirit Mayet's eyes.

"What I'm trying to say is," he whispered. "I love you but I love the world more. You deserved more than that and I can't give you that. So, I had to give you up."

She knew she sounded crazy when she started to laugh. She wrapped her arms around her friend and laughed even harder. "Thank you." She buried her head into his neck. "Thank you for doing that."

"You're welcome?" he said questionably. He gave a sad smile as he removed her arms from his neck. "I just wish things would've been different but I cannot change my destiny."

Katara cupped his cheeks and leaned forward. Her lips gently pressed against his and quickly pulled away. A blush quickly spread across the young's monk face as her hands dropped from his face. "What…" He licked his lips. "What was that for?"

"A goodbye kiss."

"Goodbye?"

Now it was her turn to blush. "I'm just saying goodbye to what could've been." It was the partial truth. She was saying goodbye to the possible relationship between her and the airbender but she was also forgiving him and herself for things that happened before Mayet granted her a second chance.

Aang smiled shyly and quickly stood up. He extended his hand and she gladly accepted the invitation. She felt her queasy stomach lurched as she was pulled up from the ground. His hand stayed in her hand as he looked at her. "Friends?"

"Friends," she answered with a smile.

"We should head back," he suggested as he let go of her hand.

The two were silent as they made their way back to the campsite. The only sound that was heard was the sound of leaves being crushed by feet. The young Avatar was the first to break the silence. "Do you think Zuko could teach me firebending?"

"Yes," she answered as she stared ahead. "I believe in him."

"I see," he said sounding thoughtful and then wrinkled his nose. "I hope he's a better teacher than Master Jeong Jeong."

She remembered how Zuko taught her friend. He was gruff and impatient but he never scolded. He always expected the best from Aang and nothing less. "He's a better teacher," she reassured.

"It's odd," he said with a frown. "I feel like I know Zuko from before. Not when he was chasing us or when he ..." He let the sentence trail off before continuing. "It's like one of my past lives knew his past life."

"Like all of this happening before?" she asked as she thought about Mayet. The spirit did say that her situation had happened twice before expect she remembered her past. _Could it be possible that my friends remembered their pasts?_

"No," Aang answered surely. "It's more like one of my reincarnations knew his reincarnation or something similar to that."

"Is that possible? I only thought Avatars are reincarnated."

The monk had a distant look on his face before a smile broke out. "That's not helpful," he muttered.

Now Katara was confused. "Excuse me?"

Aang blinked a couple of times and his face went bright red. "Sorry," he said as he rubbed the back of his head. "One of the Avatars suggested something."

"You can hear their voices?" she asked sounding intrigued. The old Aang never talked about being the Avatar but then again, she did not want to talk to him or be near him.

"Yeah," he said grumpily. "It can be very annoying. Every one of them has something to say. Right now, they're not being helpful."

"That does sound annoying."

As they walked closer to the campsite, they heard voices yelling. Aang raised his eyebrows at her before they hurried to the campsite.

"You're NOT leaving!" Katara recognized the voice as Sokka's.

"You CAN'T tell me what to do, peasant!" The second voice was Zuko's.

They entered the small clearing and found Sokka and Zuko standing nose to nose. It never occurred to Katara that her brother and the banished prince were the same height. She always thought that Zuko was taller. Toph was lounging not too far from them with a delighted smile on her face. Aang walked up to the blind earthbender and gave her a questioning look. "What's going on?"

"Sparky wants to leave," Toph answered with a huge smile. "I'm waiting for them to start slapping each other like girls."

Zuko pulled his eyes away from Sokka and glared at Toph. "Stop calling me that!" he spat.

"Do you want me to call you _Useless_?"

He let out a growl before giving a small bow to Aang. "I'm sorry Avatar but I can't stay here and train you. I must go back to Ba Sing Se."

Fear slammed into Katara. "Why?"

"I'll tell you why!" Sokka shouted and gave Zuko a dirty look. "He's going to find Azula and join her!"

"I have no desire to join Azula!" Zuko yelled. "I want revenge!"

Revenge, Katara was familiar with that word and the emotion behind it. She hungered for it since her mother's death. Zuko helped her confront it when she met the man that was responsible. She understood why Zuko wanted revenge but Aang needed him more. "You can't leave!"

"I'm sorry Katara," Zuko answered and hung his head down. "I must avenge for Uncle's death."

"She'll kill you!"

"I'm willing to take that chance."

_I'm not! I'm not going to let you die!_ "What about Aang? You promised you'll teach him firebending!"

A hand gently rested on her shoulder. She glanced behind her and saw Aang. "Katara, I think we should let him leave."

_What?_ She spun around and gave Aang a look of surprise. "You want him to leave?"

"He needs to do this."

If her situation was different she would have believe she was in a different universe. "Aang," she said calmly. She needed control of this situation. "Isn't revenge like a two headed viper?"

He made a small frown. "The monks say that all the time," he said slowly. "Where did you hear that?"

She ignored his question and spun back towards the firebender. "You can't leave!"

"Katara," Zuko whispered as he raised his head. "You said that the Fire Nation took your mother away. Don't you want revenge?"

"I found the man that killed my mother!" she yelled. She closed her eyes when she heard her brother suck in his breath.

"_You what?_" Sokka breathed as he stared at her. "_When?_"

"What happened?" Zuko asked clearly interested.

"I didn't kill him," she answered and glared at the banished prince. "It wasn't worth it. I confronted him but the man that was kneeling in front of me was pathetic and weak. If I killed him, then I would've been no better than him." She purposely left out the part where he held her afterwards whispering into her ear.

_You did the right thing Katara. You're stronger than that monster. You're better than him. I'm proud of you._

"You're lying!" Sokka hissed as moved in front of her face. "You're fucking lying!"

Tears stung her eyes as her brother berated her. Never in her life had Sokka used such words towards her. Zuko felt the same way as he grabbed the warrior's shoulder and yanked him away. "Leave her alone," he growled.

"Back off, Jerkbender!" Sokka shouted as he shrugged his shoulder away. "You're supposed to be leaving! Why should you care about my sister?"

"Snoozles!" Toph called out in a panic. "She's not lying!"

"What do you mean?" he spat.

"I mean," Toph said as she gave a funny look. "Sugar Queen is not lying!"

"You don't sound convinced!" His blue eyes bored down on Katara. "When did you confront that bastard?"

"Sokka," Aang said calmly as he stepped between the siblings. "Today has been a difficult day for everyone. We lost Ba Sing Se to the Fire Nation and Zuko lost his uncle." He gently pushed Sokka away from Katara. "Why don't you take a walk and calm down."

"Fine," he mumbled as he glared at her. "Whatever." He stormed off into the woods.

"Toph?" Aang turned to the earthbender.

"I'm on it, Twinkles," she answered. "I'll make sure Snoozles doesn't do anything completely stupid." She jogged off into the woods, following the path that Sokka created.

The young Avatar turned towards the firebender and gave a sympathetic smile. "Zuko," he said sincerely. "I'm really sorry about your uncle. I do understand your desire to get your revenge and I would not hold you back. But please consider this, I do need an instructor and you're the only person that is willing to teach me. Just think about it and give your answer tomorrow morning."

"I will, Avatar."

Aang gave a huge smile and his grey eyes sparkled. "Good," he said. "I'm going to check on Appa and find some nuts to eat." He glanced at her. "Katara, would like to come?"

She lowered her head. "No thank you," she whispered as she wiped her eyes. "I would like to talk to Zuko."

"Very well." He gave a bow to the couple before walking away.

The firebender let out a snort of some sort. "Is he always like that?"

"Yes," she muttered as she continued to wipe her eyes.

"Are you okay?" His raspy voice was unusually soft.

"I'm fine," she answered shakily. "Sokka never spoke to me like that."

He crossed his arms. "He should never talk to you like that. I don't care if he's your brother."

She raised her head once she calmed down. "Zuko, please don't leave."

"I have to do this," he answered as he looked into the fire.

"Aang needs you!"

"The Avatar is fine with my decision." He snapped his head back towards her and narrowed his eyes. "Why can't you!"

"Can you bend?"

"What?"

"Can you bend?" Katara repeated the question. "I'm just starting to feel my chi unblocking." Zuko snapped his fingers and frowned when no flame appeared. "I thought so," she said. "How can you seek revenge when you can't even bend?"

"Unlike Azula," he snarled. "I'm proficient in weapons."

"I don't doubt it." Her mind was filled with images when she caught the firebender practicing with his swords. It was stunning to watch him move elegantly with the dangerous weapons. "Please," she begged as she walked up to him. She gently took his hand. "Please stay with us. Iroh would've wanted that."

His calloused hand squeezed her hand. "What about avenging his death?"

"You'll have your revenge," she promised and returned the squeeze. "I'll make sure that you'll have your revenge." Zuko was there for her when she confronted her mother's killer and she would do the same for him. "But right now it's not the best time."

His amber eyes softened. "I'm not going to be like you," he whispered. "I'm going to kill Azula."

"I won't hold you back," Katara answered darkly. "Azula deserves death. If you don't kill her, then I would."

She saw his eyes widen at the admission. She held her chin up and stared back, showing him that she meant her word. His eyes returned to normal and a small smirk appeared on his face. "You're not that little girl that I fought back in the North Pole," he retorted.

"I've changed."

"I've noticed." He took her other hand and brought both hands to his chest. "I'll stay and train the Avatar but you'll have to come with me when I confront Azula."

She swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat as the Agni Kai continued to play through her head. _It won't happen again. I'll make sure that it won't happen again._ "Of course."

She swore she heard soft laughter in the wind.


	5. Chapter 5

**Finally! This has been the hardest chapter to write! Thanks for the great reviews!**

**Enjoy & Review!**

**Discliamer: Do Not Own.**

* * *

The group left at sunrise so they could have a huge distance between them and Azula. They travelled in silence which did not bother Katara. She did not want to talk to anyone in fear that she might reveal what happened before. In fact no one wanted to talk to each other. Aang sat across from her petting Momo as he looked over the saddle. Toph sat next to Aang staring at her with a frown on her face. Zuko sat next to her and it looked like he was sleeping. Sokka was sitting on Appa's head and was directing the beast to an undisclosed location. He refused to sit in the same saddle with Zuko and he was still upset at her.

She could feel the tension in the small group. She knew that they were upset that they lost Ba Sing Se to the Fire Nation and Iroh to Azula. She wished that everyone were friends like before. She missed that friendship. She missed how easy going everyone was in the past. She wanted that back and she knew it would be hard to achieve that. She remembered the words that Toph spoke when they were at Roku's island.

_Do you really think friendships can last more than one lifetime?_

She believed that it was true and prayed to the spirits that she was not wrong.

The sensation of someone staring at her was becoming irritating. It made her skin crawl and she felt uncomfortable. Katara glared at the person that was staring. "Toph, why are you staring at me?"

The blind earthbender shrugged. "Was I staring?" she asked in mock innocence. "How can I stare if I'm blind?"

She gritted her teeth at the response. Toph have been acting peculiar since last night and she had to wonder if the girl suspected something. Everything she did gave the blind earthbender a reason to wrinkle her nose or make her frown.

"I'm sorry," she said through clenched teeth. "I thought you were staring." Toph smiled at her and continued with the staring.

Fed up with the blind earthbender's antics, Katara rolled to her side and closed her eyes.

* * * *

She woke up when something wet nuzzled her body. Letting out an irritated growl, she pushed the object away from her. The object returned and pressed harder while letting out a loud snort. Katara opened her eyes and let out a shriek. Hovering above her was Appa and the gentle beast looked very worried. She looked down and found herself in the saddle. A scowl appeared on her face. Her friends did not bother to wake her up!

Sokka looked up from his map. "You're up." Then he promptly returned to the map.

Katara pushed Appa's nose away from her. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

He did not look up. "Didn't think I had to."

She gritted her teeth. "How did you remove the saddle?" she asked as she stepped out of the saddle.

Sokka's hands started moving in the air while he muttered something about earthbending, rocks, and a useless firebender. She gave up listening to her brother and studied the surroundings. A small warning bell rang in her head as she looked around. The island looked vaguely familiar. Ignoring the bell in her head, Katara walked towards the campfire that was probably made by Zuko. Toph was sitting near the campfire busy picking her toes.

She raised her head up to the upcoming noise. "Afternoon Sweetness," she said smugly. She wiggled her toes before picking at them again. "Tea?" She pointed her head to the teapot resting a couple of feet away.

A sharp pang of sadness went through Katara. _Don't think of Iroh!_ "Thank you," she said and poured herself a cup. She noticed that two members of the gang were missing. "Where are Aang and Zuko?"

Toph finished picking her toes. "Sparky wanted to start teaching firebending to Twinkles Toes." She stretched out her legs. "Said something about giving Twinkles a head start before the invasion."

The warning bell became a loud gong. _The invasion!_ Katara dropped her cup and stared at the blind earthbender. "We're at the rendezvous point?" she asked hesitantly.

Toph raised an eyebrow. "Yeah," she said slowly. "The invasion is a couple of weeks away." Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Is that a problem?"

"Sokka!" she screamed and spun around. "Stop the invasion!"

She felt the familiar weight of the earth wrapping around her body forcing her to the ground. Her face slammed into the mud and a metallic taste filled her mouth. Her head was spinning and her brother's screaming was not helping.

"_Who are you?_" Toph asked quietly. She twitched her fingers and the earthen bounds went tighter.

"Toph!" Sokka was heard yelling. "What the hell are you doing?"

"There's something wrong with her!" she screamed. "She's not the right Sugar Queen!"

That was something Katara could agree with. She had not been herself since Zuko's death and that feeling had intensified since she found herself back in Ba Sing Se. No matter how many times spirit Mayet would tell her that she was given a second chance, she will still feel like she was losing her mind.

"What are you talking about?" Sokka huffed. "She_ is_ the right Katara!"

"No, she's not!"

Katara managed to roll to her side and saw Sokka and Toph arguing. From a distance she saw Aang and Zuko heading back to the camp. Something was not right between the firebender and the young monk. Zuko looked like he was going to set everything on fire while Aang was trying to reassure him. The boys stopped walking and saw the scene in front of them. Zuko's face twisted in pure rage and stormed towards her. Aang quickly followed him looking confused and very worried.

"What's going on?" Zuko snapped as he pushed Sokka out of the way. "Why is Katara in shackles?" He sat Katara up. "Are you okay?" he asked gently.

"I'm fine," she said weakly. "It's just a misunderstanding."

Sokka gave him a dirty look. "I don't know!" he spat. "I was busy studying the map for the invasion and Toph went crazy!" His blue eyes narrowed. "And stop touching my sister!"

Aang looked appalled. "Toph!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing?"

"There's something wrong with her!"

She felt the eyes staring at her. "Katara's fine," Aang said. "Please release her."

"I'm not releasing her!" Toph said and crossed her arms. "She's been acting weird since Ba Sing Se!"

Sokka let out a snort. "She was stuck with Mister Happy Go Lucky! Anyone can go weird!"

"Shut up, peasant!"

"Yeah, yeah," Sokka said. He grabbed his crotch and made a rude gesture. "Bite me!"

"Guys, stop!" Aang pleaded. He gave a hard stare to the earthbender. "Toph, please explain yourself."

She pointed at Katara. "She's not Sugar Queen!" she said. A look of confusion spread across her face. "Well she _is_ Sugar Queen but at the same time she's not!"

"What do you mean?" Aang asked.

Toph let out a heavy sigh. "Her heart is pounding but I can't tell if she's lying or not!" she explained. "Sweetness has always been a bad liar."

"When did your doubts started?" Aang asked as he stomped his foot. The earthen shackles were released from Katara's body. She leaned against Zuko as she rubbed her wrists.

"When she announced that she found her mother's killer," Toph answered with a huff. Sokka sucked in his breath as he glared at Katara. "She wasn't lying when she said she found the man but when did she had the time?"

"Yesterday was emotional," Zuko interjected as he held Katara. "All of us were running on raw nerves."

"I would love to agree with you, Sparky," she said. "But her heart raced again when she told Sokka to stop the invasion."

Katara suddenly felt cold. The warm comforting heat from the firebender was gone when he let her go. He took a step back and stared at her with his good eye wide. "Why would you ask your brother to stop the invasion?" he asked slowly.

She suppressed the shiver that was attacking her body. "You know about the invasion?" she asked.

"He saw me studying the map," Sokka said with a huff. "Aang wanted me to tell him." He shook his head. "Let's go back to the original question, why do you want me to stop the invasion?"

"It's going to fail," she said as she hung her head down.

Her brother let out a laugh. "How's it going to fail? It's happening during the darkest time in Fire Nation's history."

Zuko stared at Sokka. "You're attacking during the solar eclipse?" he asked. "You didn't tell me that!"

"Like I was going to tell you everything!" Sokka snorted. "I was told to tell you about the invasion. I was never told to explain the invasion to you." He pointed his finger at Zuko. "I still don't trust you."

Aang slapped his head and muttered something. Zuko just glared at the Water Tribe boy and let out a growl. "Nobody is going to be at the Capitol," he said through clenched teeth.

Everyone turned their heads and stared at the banished prince. Sokka was the first to recover over his shock. "What do you mean?"

"No one's going to be there," Zuko repeated. "Every citizen is going to be in a shelter that is underneath the Capitol. We've been planning this for the last hundred years." He crossed his arms. "Katara's right, your invasion is going to fail."

"We need to abort, Sokka," Katara pleaded. "We need to tell Dad."

Sokka ran his hand through his hair. "Dad will figure it out when he finds us gone," he said. "That was the signal for an abort. If we're not here, then he would have to disappear." He gave his sister a wary glance. "How did you know that the invasion was going to fail?"

She sucked in her breath as she watched her friends surround her. She did not want to tell them but she had too. She could not keep it a secret anymore. "Because I was there."

Her brother raised an eyebrow. "You're kidding, right?" he asked. "Because that sounds pretty crazy."

"She's telling the truth," Toph whispered looking scared. "She's really telling the truth."

"How can that be?" Sokka shouted as he took a step back. "We never set foot in the Capitol!"

Aang had a faraway look on his face. "It can't be," he muttered as he focused his eyes. "The Avatars heard legends but that's what they are, legends."

"What are you talking about?" Toph asked as she kept her gaze at the waterbender.

He ignored his friend's question and kneeled in front of Katara. He gently raised her chin and stared into her blue eyes. He studied them for a second and a small smile appeared on his face. "You've been chosen," he said.

Tears ran down her face as she nodded. "I didn't ask for this," she whispered. "I just wanted my heart to stop hurting."

* * * *

She told them about the final battle. She left out the adventures because they were personal to her and it would confuse her friends more. She purposely left out that Azula killed Zuko. There was no reason for her to relive that nightmare. Her friends stared at her with disbelief. Once she was done talking, everyone was silent.

"I…" Sokka was the first to speak. "I don't understand." He slowly sat down next to her. "You said that we won the war, why is this all happening?"

She shivered at the real reason. "I don't know." She knew that Toph picked up on the lie when the girl coughed loudly.

"Are we supposed to fail?" he asked.

"No."

"This spirit…" Sokka licked his lips. Sadness spread across his face. "Was it Yue?"

Aang answered before her. "The spirit is called Mayet. She is the keeper of balance. She judges to see who is worthy or not."

A low whistle escaped from Toph's mouth. "She's an ancient Earth Kingdom spirit," she said giving Katara a strange look. "If we won the war the first time around, then why were you in the Earth Kingdom?"

Katara looked at the ground. "Because something horrible happened."

"It must have been something really horrible if it threw the world into chaos," Toph muttered.

_It was._

"How horrible could it be?" Zuko snapped. Katara could see the pain and agitation written all over his face. "My uncle was alive when we won the war and now he's dead!"

_Your death killed me._

"Katara doesn't have to tell us what exactly happened," Aang said peacefully. "She's going through enough pain. She doesn't want to relive the past."

_Thank you, Aang._

Sokka stood up. "I'll admit it's a little weird and hard to believe." He stretched his back. "But then again, I've seen stranger shit." He glanced at Aang and Zuko. "How was jerkbending?"

She saw the bizarre looks on her friends' faces. "Firebending," she explained. "Sokka called firebending, jerkbending."

Sokka's eyes lit up. "I've said that before?" He started to dance. "I still got it, even when everything is repeating!" Everyone ignored his dancing.

Aang rubbed the back of his neck. "It went okay," he said slowly. "We need more practice."

_Oh no!_ Katara sucked in her breath. "You can't bend."

Sokka stopped dancing. "Who can't bend?"

"Zuko."

The banished prince let out a snarl. "I can bend!" he declared. "It's just I can't right now. My chi is still block."

"You're lying, Sparky!" Toph sang out.

Sokka burst out laughing. "You can't bend!" He wiped a tear from his eye. "How is it that a dream came true at the wrong time? I wished that you couldn't bend when you were chasing us!"

Katara felt ashamed. _Did I sound like that when Zuko announced it the first time?_

Zuko stared at his hands. "I don't understand how," he whispered.

_It's time to take away your honor!_

Those were the words that Ty Lee said before she hit Zuko in the back. Katara remembered that the circus performer had attacked the firebender differently. She did not hit his neck or shoulder. She hit the middle of back near his heart. "Could Ty Lee be responsible?"

He made a heavy sigh. "Maybe." He ran a hand through his shaggy hair. "I remembered Ty Lee practicing this talent of hers but I never experience anything like this. I can feel my chi but there's no flame."

Sokka made a snort. "Maybe you're not as good as you think." Zuko just snarled at him.

"Stop it Sokka," Katara growled. _Was I this horrible to Zuko?_ Her mind was fuzzy as she tried to think what Zuko did to get his firebending back. _I remembered badger-moles being discussed. A volcano was mentioned. There was dancing._ She let out a frustrated moan. _Why didn't I pay attention!_

"Sparky should find the source of firebending," Toph offered as she picked her ear. "That's how I learned earthbending, I went to the source."

_The source!_ "Yes!" Katara shouted and jumped up. She pointed at Zuko. "You and Aang went to the source of firebending!"

"We threw them in a volcano?" Sokka asked. "I have no problem throwing Jerkbender into the volcano but the world needs Aang."

"No!" she said through gritted teeth. "Toph learned earthbending from the original source, badger-moles! Guess what the original source of firebending is!"

Sokka scratched his head. "Volcanoes?"

She stomp her foot. "Dragons!" she shouted. "They went to see the dragons!"

"Dragons are extinct," Zuko announced sadly.

Aang looked confused. "What do you mean the dragons are extinct?"

Zuko looked down. "My great grandfather made dragon hunting a sport. Anyone that killed a dragon earned the title _Dragon_. My uncle was the last firebender to kill one."

The airbender flinched. "That's horrible!" he exclaimed. There was a slight pause and then a frown. "I don't think you want to hear what Avatar Roku just said."

"The dragons do exist!" Katara explained. She felt the excitement flowing through her body. "They are being cared for by the Sun Warriors."

"The Sun Warriors?" Aang gave a little laugh. "That civilization has been gone for centuries!" He saw the frown on the waterbender's face. "You're telling me that exist!"

"I haven't seen it but you and Zuko told us about it," she said. "There was also a dance."

"Wait!" Sokka pushed his hands out. "There's a dance?" He glanced at Zuko and Aang. "Who took the lead?"

"Shut up Sokka!" Aang, Toph, and Katara yelled.

Zuko rubbed the bridge of his nose. "How do we get there?"

The euphoria left Katara. She stared at her friends blankly and gave a shaky laugh. "I don't know," she admitted. "You and Aang went to see the Sun Warriors. We stayed behind at the Western Air Temple."

Aang gave a frown. "There are hundreds of tiny islands near the Western Air Temple. We don't have the time to search each one."

"What I've learned," Zuko added. "The Sun Warriors only settled in the east, never in the west."

_That can't be right. The old Zuko said that the civilization was near the temple. _She felt the depression sinking in as she stared at the ground. "I'm just telling you what happened before," she whispered. "All I remembered is that Appa headed east so you can learn firebending." _What's going on?_

"East, huh," Sokka mumbled and rubbed his chin. He went to his forgotten map and began studying it. "Check this out," he said as he pointed at the map. Everyone surrounded him except for Toph. "This is the Western Air Temple." He pointed at a spot on the map. "If Appa went east." He trailed his finger along until it stopped on a large island. "Then this is the place. It's the only island in that direction."

A frown formed on Zuko's face. "I suggested that island when I was banished but Uncle told me that it was nothing but an active volcano."

"It's our only option," Aang said hopefully. "We should leave right away. We need to put in a lot of distance so we can reach the Sun Warriors in time."

"One problem," Sokka announced as he glanced at the supplies. "We don't have enough supplies to last a day. We need to stop somewhere." He looked at the map. "There's a port not too far from here."

"Perfect." Aang smiled. He looked at his clothing. "I think it's a wise idea if we find a change of clothes." He waved his hand around. "We sorta stand out." He gave a pause and a huge smile appeared on his face. "That's a great idea!"

Sokka wrinkled his nose. "Buddy, you need to learn to keep all conversations to yourself," he suggested. "It's kind of creepy!"

"Kind of?" Toph snorted.

A hand went to the back of his head. "Sorry," Aang said. "It was suggested by the Avatars that I should grow out my hair, so no one would recognized me."

Katara knew her jaw dropped when her friend made that suggestion. She stared at him with wide eyes as she tried to fight the resentment growing in her. "We made that suggestion!" she exclaimed as she waved her hand between Sokka and her. "And you became very angry!"

Aang gave her a confused look. "Why would I be angry at that suggestion? It makes sense! The Fire Nation won't know!"

She felt her nails biting into her skin when she clenched her hands. "When the old you woke up after Ba Sing Se," she explained. "You were upset because you've failed. You refused to go into hiding or dishonor your heritage by covering your arrows."

"Katara," Aang whispered and took her fist. He slowly pried her fist open. "I'm not_ that_ Aang."

Her cheeks became pink. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm still getting use to this."

"Don't apologize," he said and let go of her hand. "It sounded like I was being unreasonable."

Zuko stared at her with his emotionless mask. She hated it that he could hide his emotions so well, never letting anyone see what he was thinking or feeling. She broke that mask once and she was planning to do it again. "We should leave now," he said in an even voice. "We can make it to the port before the markets closed." His hand went into the pocket on his green pants and pulled out a pouch. "This is all my tips I made when I worked at the Jasmine Dragon." He ignored the snicker from Sokka. "That should cover some of the supplies."

Toph pulled out two pouches from her tunic. "These were _donated_ by the men that my parents hired to find me." She expertly tossed them to Katara. "They weren't going to use it."

The way the blind earthbender was smiling, Katara hoped that the men were still alive.

* * * *

Appa landed in the heavily wooded area near the port town. Fearing that they would draw attention as a large group, it was suggested that Katara and Zuko go to the market while everyone else stay behind. The two walked in silence until they stumbled onto a small farmstead that had clean clothes hanging on the line. They quickly snatched some of the clothes and ran deeper into the woods to change. Katara ignored the déjà vu feeling when she slipped on the red top and skirt.

The market was filled with people buying goods from various assortments of vendors. They froze when they saw the small group of soldiers hanging around at the dock. The men did not look up from their post and they were deeply engaged in a conversation. Not wanting to deal with the Fire Nation army, she quickly purchased clothes for her friends. She did put extra effort into Aang's outfit. She did not want to go through the same situation the last time her friend wore a school uniform. She had no desire to dress up as a pregnant woman again. She shuddered at the name she used.

_Sapphire Fire, what was I thinking?_

The couple relaxed when they noticed that the food vendors were away from the docks. They took their time passing each stall, deciding which food would sustain the long trip and how much was needed. Zuko carried the bundle of goods high on his chest to make sure that no one saw his face. The two were silent while they shopped until he leaned forward to her ear.

"Explain," he said in a low husky voice.

Her hand froze over an apple and swallowed. "Ex…explain wh…what?" she asked shakily.

"Explain _us_."

"There's nothing about us," she answered quickly. She pushed away from the vendor and started to walk away.

"I don't believe that," he replied as he followed her. "You kissed me at Ba Sing Se. You were happy to see me. _Thrilled_ is the correct word."

She walked up to a vendor selling nuts. She quickly purchased a large sack of nuts and stacked it on the bundle that Zuko was carrying. "What are you suggesting?" she asked as she tried to keep the nervousness out of her voice.

"I'm suggesting that something happened between us in the past," he said as he readjusted the weight of the supplies. A blush began to appear on his face. "I feel that we had some kind of connection."

_You have a strong connection with the child of the sun. That is why I'm giving you this second chance._

She felt her face heating up as spirit Mayet's voice echoed in her mind. "We were close," she whispered.

The blush turned to a deep red. It was odd to see Zuko being embarrassed about something. "Were we lovers?"

She prayed that her face stop turning red. "I…I don't know what we were," she admitted. She hung her head down.

"I caused you pain, didn't I?" he asked. There was anger in his voice. She knew he was not angry at her but at himself. "You hated me."

She raised her head up and looked at him. His amber eyes were bright and she could see the torment in them. She gently rested her hand on his scarred cheek. "Zuko," she said. She felt silly that her voice wavered a little bit. "What we had was complicated. There was so much going on in the past that we didn't know what to do. We were confused."

He gave a soft smile and then his good eye widen with a realization. "Your necklace!" he exclaimed as he stared at the black cord around her neck. "You need to hide your necklace! People will remember it!"

Her hand went to her throat and panic seized her. _Not again! _"There was a vendor near the docks that sold jewelry." She pointed at a message board. "You wait over there while I'll buy a new necklace."

She raced back towards dock and saw the vendor selling jewelry. She smiled at the vendor as her eyes quickly scanned the necklaces. Her eyes landed on the familiar style of embossed leather. It was her Fire Nation necklace. "How much is that necklace?" she asked as she pointed at the item.

"Two silver pieces," the vendor answered. He eyed the ivory pendant on her neck. "I'll offer you an even trade for that tacky pendant."

She bristled at the comment but refused to show her anger at the vendor. "I can't," she said as she thrust two silver pieces into the man's hand. "My grandmother bought it for me."

"Old people," the vendor snorted with amusement and handed her the necklace. "They don't know what style is."

Katara removed her necklace and placed the new one around her neck. She noticed that the soldiers were missing from the docks. "Excuse me?" she asked as she slid the necklace into her pocket. "Where are the soldiers that were standing at the docks?"

The vendor raised an eyebrow at her. "Did you forget?" He laughed when he saw the confused look on her face. "I take it that your boyfriend didn't tell you."

"Tell me what?" She did not bother in correcting the vendor.

"Today is draft day," the vendor said.

She felt the blood draining from her face as she rushed towards Zuko. She had to find him before the soldiers did. She did not want to think what would happen if the soldiers recognized him. Zuko was still standing at the message board but he was frantically looking around. He pointed his head towards a nearby alley when he saw her running towards him. She followed him down the dark passage.

"We need to get out here," she hissed. "Today is draft day!"

"I know," he whispered. He dropped the goods on a nearby crate. "It's posted on the message board."

"Do you think any of the soldiers spotted you?"

"I don't think so," he answered.

"This is bad!" she exclaimed. She let out a muffled shout when his hand clamped over her mouth.

"Quiet!" he hissed. "I think someone is coming."

Katara nodded her head and he released his hand. She could not hear any noise except for her heart pounding in her ears. She saw that Zuko clenched his jaw and his fingers began to twitch. Her heart stopped when she finally heard footsteps as someone called out.

"I think I saw someone going down here!"

A gasp escaped from her throat as Zuko pushed her into the brick wall. His large body covered hers and she saw the fear and embarrassment in his eyes. "Please don't kill me," he whispered and leaned forward.

"_Wha…_" Her question abruptly ended when his tongue slid into her mouth.


	6. Chapter 6

**Wow, talk about being in a funk. Sorry this chapter has taken so long to post! Thanks for the great reviews!**

**Enjoy & Review!**

**Disclaimer: Do Not Own.**

* * *

She should be shocked that the banished prince of the Fire Nation stuck his tongue in her mouth but she froze when she heard the sound of dirt being kicked up by someone. Her heart stopped when she heard a voice called out.

"I see them!"

She knew she was starting to panic when he cupped her face firmly. He slowly pulled away and studied her face. His eyes were a bright gold color and his lips were swollen. He leaned towards her ear. "Don't panic," he whispered. His hot breath made her shudder. "We need to convince them." She let out a loud moan when he started to suck on her earlobe.

"Shit! I think they're fucking!"

_Just calm down, it's only Zuko,_ her mind calmly stated. She sucked in her breath when he returned to her lips. It was a desperate kiss for survival, not the passionate kiss she always dreamed off. _Zuko's kissing me!_ But still, a kiss is still a kiss.

"Let them," a second voice answered. "The guy is being shipped out. He's just saying goodbye to his girl."

Taking the man's words as a motivation, she wrapped her arms around Zuko's neck and pulled him in deeper. A moan of surprise was heard and he had to brace himself by placing his right hand on the wall. His left hand gently skimmed down her side and cupped the back of her knee. He lifted her leg up so it could rest on his hip. The result was him pressing harder into her body.

And she felt _every_ hard angle on him.

"Maybe we should check it out," the first man said. "It might be the banished prince."

_No!_

"Nah," the second man answered. "From what I've heard, the banished prince preferred men."

She felt the low growl vibrated from his chest. His kisses became demanding as if he was proving that what she heard was untrue. She immediately responded to the kiss.

"Let's get out of here," the second man ordered. She barely heard them walking away.

Her body wanted more of the contact and something snapped in her when he nipped her lower lip. She cupped his face and began kissing him even deeper. Apparently he felt it too when he thrust his tongue harshly into her mouth. All of their emotions; fear, sadness, confusion, and anger were tumbling out in their kiss.

The kisses became passionate as tongues fought for dominance. The back of her head slammed into the wall when a warm hand pushed her top up to caress her breast. He gently fondled it making her gasp out loud. Her hands went to his tunic and practically ripped it open. She needed to touch his skin.

Zuko let out a throaty moan when her hands roamed along his body. His skin was hard but very soft. A combination she could not understand. His pale skin glowed in the dark alley as her hands explored his shoulders and chest. She buried her head into his neck and licked his smoky skin.

He tasted like cayenne.

"More," she whispered as she began to kiss him. A whimper was heard when she pulled away. "Please give me more."

He lifted her up and her legs instantly wrapped around his waist. He pushed her back into the wall and slowly grinded himself into her. His mouth covered hers and began mimicking the grinding movements with his tongue. It was lewd and obscene.

And she _loved_ it.

Her mind was in a whirlwind as she began matching each thrust with her mouth and body. Part of her knew what she was doing was inappropriate but the other part of her wondered what it would feel like if they removed all of their clothing. She rested her head back on the wall and let her body enjoy the wonderful sensations rushing through her. Zuko buried his head into her neck and braced his hands on the wall. Gasps and cries of pleasures surround them.

He grinded hard into her for the last time and her body exploded in a pleasure. She rested her forehead against his as they tried to catch their breath. She shivered every time his breath hit her face. He slowly lowered her to the ground and her legs were shaky as she tried to stand. She shyly looked at Zuko as he tied his tunic.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "It was the only thing that came to mind when the guards saw us."

"I should apologize," she answered as she tried to fix her hair. "I got carried away."

"I guess we're both sorry."

"Yeah," she said awkwardly. She saw him fiddle with his pants. "Zuko, are you okay?"

"Just give me a minute," he answered softly. "Can you wait for me at the end of the alley?"

She grabbed the goods and walked towards the alley's entrance. He appeared a few minutes later looking more comfortable than before. A blush appeared on his face when she raised an eyebrow at him. Instead of talking to her, he grabbed the goods and started to walk away. She quickly followed him wondering why he was so embarrassed.

They walked in silence as they headed back to the group. "Zuko?"

"Yes?"

A blush appeared on her cheeks. "I don't regret what happened in the alley." The blush became a deep red. "I…I liked it."

He was silent for awhile. "I liked it too."

They reached the camp before sundown and met a very unhappy Sokka. "What took you so long?" he spat. "I was worried that Jerkbender did something to you!"

She saw Zuko's face flush. "We ran into some soldiers at the market," she answered. "We had to create a diversion."

"Whatever," he said as he dismissed her story. "Let's get the stuff into the saddle and get out of here, this place gives me the creeps."

Appa took off once everything was secured. Zuko sat on the far side of the saddle while Sokka talked about something that nobody was paying attention to. Katara tuned her brother out and stared out over the saddle. She could not understand what happened in the alley. She did not hate it but she was confused about it.

_I never felt that way with Zuko before, right?_

"Hey Sweetness?"

"What is it Toph?"

"I know you were telling the truth about the soldiers," she said. "But you kinda lied about the diversion. What's that about?"

"Nothing."

A confused look appeared on the earthbender's face. "That must've been some diversion."

* * * *

"Hey guys!" Aang shouted from Appa's head. "You have to see this!"

With the exception of Toph, everyone moved towards the front of the saddle to see what the young monk was talking about. Katara let out a large gasp at the sight in front of her. Even though they were about a half a mile away, she could see the tall spires of the Sun Warrior's civilization. The spires looked like gold as they gleamed in the sunlight. It was a breathtaking sight.

Appa landed an hour later in the large abandon courtyard. The group looked around admiring the golden temples and spires. Katara studied the bricks on a nearby wall. She was amazed by the color. She have seen dark brown bricks in the Earth Kingdom, deep red bricks in the Fire Nation, and dusty beige bricks at the Air Temples from her travels but she never seen bricks in a beautiful honey color. The sun shined off the bricks giving the illusion that the ancient civilization was made out of gold. Her fingers gently touched the bricks and realized that the smooth glaze was designed to reflect not absorb the light.

"Whoa," Toph said as she gently moved her foot around. "This place is huge! How are we going to find the dragons?" She moved her foot again. "Where are the Sun Warriors? I thought you said that the Sun Warriors existed."

"I don't know," Katara answered. "Aang and Zuko never told me how they met them." Her eyes continued to absorb the wonderful sight around them. She understood why Aang and Zuko were so awed when they returned to the Western Air Temple, the ancient civilization was beautiful. But something about the beauty made her uneasy.

Like something or someone was watching them.

Sokka scratched his chin as he looked at a grotesque statue of a lizard. "These buildings remind me of that Fire Temple we went to during the winter solstice."

"They look exactly like the temples," Zuko answered as he looked around. "I've been told that the Fire Sages still use the traditions of the Sun Warriors but not to this extreme."

Aang gave a bright smile. "The past can be a great teacher."

Toph let out an undignified snort. "We're not here to learn," she complained as she crossed her arms. "We're here to find the dragons."

"Well, let's go then!" Aang answered as he skipped off. Zuko raised an eyebrow at Katara but she merely shrugged.

Toph took a step but quickly stopped. "Twinkles!" she cried out. "Watch out!"

Aang tried to skid to a stop but he tripped over something. Katara let out a shriek as she watched the young monk fall forward to an empty pit which was suddenly filled with sharp spikes. He blew a gust an air and floated to the other side of the pit. His eyes were wide as he stared at the gang from the other side.

"I think the past is trying to kill me!" he squeaked.

"Look at this," Zuko said as he kneeled down. His fingers touched a black cord. "This trap is centuries old but it still looks new."

"Which means that the dragons are still here," Sokka muttered.

"I don't think we should continue," Katara said sounding nervous. The deserted civilization was making her uncomfortable. "I think we can find the dragons somewhere else."

"You said that this was the only place where we can find the dragons," Sokka said.

"I know," she answered. "But this place is not right. It's making me uncomfortable."

"There is something odd about this place," Zuko admitted. "But if the Avatar and I did it once, then we can do it again."

"Then I'm staying with Appa," she replied. "I would feel more comfortable if I stay with him."

"Maybe it's a good idea if Zuko and I go," Aang suggested. "Everyone can wait for us."

"Oh no!" Sokka shouted. "I'm not letting Jerkbender be alone with you! He might capture you once he figures out how to jerkbend!"

"Sokka!" Aang exclaimed. "Zuko has proved that he could be trusted."

"I'm still going!" he yelled. He pointed at the banished prince. "I still don't trust you."

Zuko let out a growl. "If you still have issues, then come along," he snarled. "Just don't be in the way!"

"Fine!" he snapped. He glanced at the earthbender. "Toph, let's go!"

"No way," she said. "I'm staying with Sugar Queen."

Sokka let out a grunt. "Whatever."

He marched towards the edge of the pit and stopped. He scratched his head as he tried to figure out how to cross the gap. Zuko let out a snort and sprinted towards the wall. He ran along the surface and landed gracefully on the other side. Toph let out a huge laugh and stomp the ground to create a stone bridge for Sokka. The Water Tribe warrior grumbled to himself as he stomped along the makeshift bridge.

He glared at the banished prince. "No one likes a showoff," he growled.

"I'll keep that in mind," Zuko said dryly.

"Play nice!" Toph shouted with glee. "See you guys later!"

Katara watched the trio walk away and let out a heavy sigh. She was beginning to wonder if being separated was a good idea. Aang and Zuko did take a long time to return when they learned firebending the first time. She glanced at Toph and gave a big smile.

"Well it's you and me."

"Nope," Toph answered and gave a stretch. "I'm going to check this place out. You can wait for the guys to come back."

"I don't think it's a good idea for you to be walking around alone."

"We're in an ancient civilization!" she exclaimed. "There's no one here except for us!"

"What about the traps?"

"Sweetness!" Toph said in annoyance. "I can sense them! There's nothing to worry about!"

"But…"

"No buts. This is probably the only chance I'll get to explore an ancient civilization." She let out an irritated sigh. "I'll be careful."

"Oh…alright," Katara said dejectedly. "Just be back before sundown."

The blind earthbender disappeared before she even finished her sentence. Katara let out a huff and sat down on the ground. Even though she was alone after Zuko's death, she never did like the loneliness. Momo floated down next to her and let out a sad little chirp. She smiled at the creature and rubbed his head.

"Aang will be back," she promised. "There's nothing to worry about."

Her hand froze when she heard a stone being kicked across the ground. The lemur let out a shriek and flew away. She held her breath as she tried to concentrate on the location of the sound. She knew someone was staring at her because her skin was crawling.

"Toph," she called out. "Is that you?" Her hand went to her neck when she felt something pricked it. Her fingers closed around the object and pulled it out of her skin. She felt herself getting lightheaded as she stared at the object in her hand.

It was a small dart that was decorated with feathers.

"What the he…," she mumbled before everything going black.

* * * *

She could hear people talking but she could not understand what they were saying. She opened her eyes and let out a heavy moan. The bright sun made her vision go fuzzy and intensified the migraine that was pounding behind her eyes. Her stomach lurched and she quickly turned onto her side to vomit. A warm hand rested on her shoulder and she heard someone chattering into her ear. A gourd filled with water appeared in front of her face and she happily accepted the offer. She greedily drank the water and dropped the gourd.

Once her vision cleared, she turned to the person that was her savior and possibly her attacker. A blush appeared on her face when she saw the person behind her. A young woman was kneeling next to her wearing nothing but a leather loincloth. Her long black hair covered her breasts and it contrasted sharply with the dark brown skin. The young woman smiled at her and handed her another gourd filled with water. She pushed the offering away and scouted away from the woman.

"A Sun Warrior," Katara whispered. Her fingers began fiddling with her leather embossed necklace. _They really do exist!_ "What do you want from me?"

The young woman chattered something. There were no words in the language and it sounded similar to Momo's constant chatter.

"I'm sorry," she said while she shook her head. "I don't understand you."

The young woman tilted her head to the left and stared blankly at the waterbender. She let out a huge huff and thrust the gourd to her. The chattering became demanding and Katara had no choice but to accept the gourd. The young woman gave a smug smirk and began chattering again. Katara ignore the chattering and drank the water.

She handed the gourd back and glared at the young woman. "Where are my friends?"

The young woman leaned forward and rested her hand on her forehead. She gave a nod at the temperature of the forehead and chattered to someone in the background. She leaned forward and stared into Katara's eyes. Then she took a huge sniff which made the waterbender recoil in shock. The young woman chattered excitedly to someone and stood up. Katara instantly looked to the ground; the loincloth was nothing but a piece of leather held by a cord.

"Where are my friends?" Katara asked again. "What do you want?"

An older woman appeared holding a small bundle. She tossed the bundle to Katara and chattered something at her. Her voice sounded impatient and angry. Katara stared at the bundle and her face instantly went red.

"I can't wear this!" she exclaimed as she studied the loincloth. _I can't let Sokka and Aang see me like this!_ She remembered what happened in the alley. _I can't let Zuko see me in this!_

"Sweetness?" a nervous voice called out. "I'm so glad to hear you!"

Katara's heart broke when she saw Toph stepping into the light. The trademark bun was undone and her black hair cascade around her elbows. She was trembling slightly as she gripped onto the small bundle. The woman behind her held her shoulder like a vise as she pushed the blind earthbender forward. Toph stumbled a little and Katara knew that her friend was still getting over the drug.

She rushed to her and pulled her into a hug. "Are you okay, Toph?" she whispered. She could fell the small fingers clutching her.

"I think so," Toph answered. "I don't know what happened. One minute I was walking around and the next I woke up in this room with strange people staring at me." Her voice was choked in fear and embarrassment. "I didn't feel them coming. They were lighter than Twinkle Toes."

"It's okay," she reassured. It was uncomforting to see her friend to be so upset. "We'll get out of here." Chattering was heard again and she glared at the women. "Leave us alone! We are not here to harm you!"

The young woman kneeled next to her and began to chatter. She nudged her and pointed at the forgotten bundle on the ground. "We're not wearing that!"

"Let's do what they are suggesting," Toph said as she let go of her.

"Toph," she said as she examined the loincloth again. "There's no top. Only a bottom."

The blind earthbender's face went to an uncommon shade of red. "Do we have a choice?"

"It appears not."

"Then let's go native," she mumbled. "Thank the spirits that I never cut my hair. This would be more awkward if my hair was short."

Katara helped Toph remove her clothes and tied the loincloth around the girl's waist. She fluffed her hair so it would cover the small girl's chest. Once Toph was done, she did the same for herself. The leather was placed between her legs and the excess hung over the cord. She hesitantly removed her breast bindings and made sure that her hair covered her breasts. It was unnerving that she could see her nipples poking out of the hair. The young woman gave an approving nod and began collecting their clothes.

She reached out and grabbed the young woman's elbow. "Please," she begged. "We need our clothes." The young woman stared at her for a second and then a smile appeared on her face. She nodded her head and pointed to a corner in the room. Katara took it that the woman would place their clothes there. "Thank you."

They were pushed out of the room and into the bright sunlight. Katara shaded her eyes as she stared at the sun. The position of the sun was telling her that it was morning. _That can't be!_ She was sure that they landed in the ancient civilization early afternoon. _How long have we been out?_ They were herded into a large courtyard and were greeted by men and women. A large man wearing a golden medallion and a headdress began to chatter. He pointed at her and Toph and then pointed to the sky. The people surrounding them went on their knees and began to chant.

"What's going on?" Toph asked.

"I have no clue," Katara answered. The chattering was beginning to drive her insane. "Do you sense the guys?"

Toph wrinkled her brow. "Yeah," she said. "I sense Snoozles and Twinkles, there's another one with them. I think that's Sparky since I haven't had a chance to recognize his movements." She gave a pause. "They're coming this way."

Right one cue, the guys appeared on the other side of the courtyard. They were still wearing their Fire Nation clothes that were covered in black goo of some sort. Their hands were tied behind their backs and collars were attached to their necks. The collars were connected to a rope that was being held by a muscular man.

"Katara! Toph!" Sokka shouted when he recognized the girls. His face twisted into confusion. "What the fuck are you wearing?"

Aang stared at the girls with wide eyes while a blush appeared on Zuko's face. Katara instantly covered her breasts when the men began to laugh around them. The chief raised his arms in the air and everyone became silent. The man tugged on the robe hard and all three boys fell to their knees. No one spoke a word while the chief spoke. Aang and Zuko flinched when the chief pointed at them.

_Do they understand the language?_

Zuko narrowed his eyes and began chattering. Apparently that surprised the chief and everyone around him. She could hear murmurs in the background as they pointed at Zuko. Once Zuko stopped chattering, Aang started to chatter. The murmurs became whisperings as Aang chattered away. She hoped that the guys were explaining the situation.

Sokka looked at the two and raised an eyebrow. He leaned towards Zuko and muttered something in his ear. Zuko replied and the Water Tribe warrior's face went red. "We don't want to steal your stupid gem!" he shouted. "We want to see the dragons!" Zuko chattered the response.

The chief stroke his chin as he was in thought. Katara felt Toph clutching her hand while the boys stared up to the chief making sure that their gazes do not waver. A big smile spread on the chief's face and began to chatter. Aang looked appalled while Zuko tried to control his anger.

"What?" the banished prince roared.

"What did he say?" Sokka asked. Zuko whispered into his ear. "Absolutely not!"

The chief gave a shrug and snapped his fingers. A man moved away from the group and walked towards the girls. Katara yelped when the man grabbed her hair. She barely could hear the yelling from her friends as she was thrown to the ground. The man leaned over her and grabbed her hair again. He pulled her head back and to her horror a knife appeared. She closed her eyes when the weapon began to descend towards her neck.


	7. Chapter 7

**I actually posted in a reasonable time frame! Yeah! Thanks for the great reviews!**

**To ease confusion; Katara and Zuko did some old fashion grinding in the last chapter. No sex!**

**Enjoy & Reveiw**

**Disclaimer: Do Not Own.**

* * *

"Stop!" Zuko shouted. Aang began chattering the plea to the chief. Katara opened her eyes and saw that the banished prince was trying to move to her. His amber eyes were filled with fear and he lowered his head in defeat. "We'll comply." Aang chattered the response and the chief clapped in approval.

The young woman that gave her the water gourd stepped forward. She walked up to the banished prince and sniffed him. She began chattering away as she pointed at her and Zuko. The chief responded and looked at him. He opened his mouth to answer but Aang answered instead. His voice was filled with happy excitement as he chattered away while the firebender glared at him. The chief let out a laugh and began addressing to the crowd. Everyone gave a whoop once he finished speaking.

The chief chattered to Aang and Zuko while their collars and bounds were being removed. He patted their backs and walked away. Still bounded, Sokka whispered something to Aang and Zuko before he was dragged away. The banished prince and the young monk gave the girls an uneasy smile before they followed the path that the chief took.

"Wait!" Katara shouted and began to run. She was held back by two men. "Where are you taking them? What's going on?"

The men began tugging on her arms and began pushing her towards the group of people. She heard Toph grumbling behind her as the two were forced to the front of the crowd. Her eyes widen when she saw her brother kneeling on the ground with a knife resting on his neck. Sokka had his eyes closed as he tried to take shallow breaths in fear that the knife might nick his skin if he took a deep breath.

The chief chattered to Aang and Zuko and presented them a flame. The boys were hesitant at first but one look at Sokka and then the girls; they took the flame into their hands. The chief chattered again but this time Katara had the basic understanding on what was going on by his hand movements. He pointed to the volcano and then to the western sky.

"What's going on?" Toph asked.

"I think Aang and Zuko have to go to the top of the volcano before sundown while holding a flame."

"What does this have to do with dragons?"

"I don't know."

"How much did Twinkles and Sparky tell you in your previous life?"

She shook her head as she tried to remember. The guys never explained much except that they met the Sun Warriors, saw the dragons, and showed off the Dancing Dragon form. Whenever someone asked for more detail, Aang would rub his head sheepishly and Zuko would look uncomfortable.

"They never went into detail," she answered. "I think they were embarrassed about something."

An amused snort was heard. "Maybe Snoozles was right," Toph smirked. "Maybe they do go into a volcano."

Katara found herself chuckling at the comment even though their situation was serious.

* * * *

The wait was painfully long. Everyone around her were kneeling on the ground and chanting. They had started to chant when Aang and Zuko began climbing the volcano and have not stopped since. The low pitch chattering sound was grating on Katara's nerves. Her nerves intensified as she helplessly watch her brother being held captive. Sokka kept his eyes closed and his body still while the knife rested on his throat. She did not know what she would do if her brother's neck was slashed.

She began rubbing her hands anxiously as she watched two glowing red dots reach the top of the volcano. The low chanting sound became a high pitch song. She stopped rubbing her hands and looked around. Everyone was on their knees waving their hands in the air. She heard a choking sound and saw the man pressing the knife closer to her brother's neck. Sokka's blue eyes were narrowed as he glared at the man.

"No!" Katara cried out and tried to move to her brother.

The young woman grabbed her arm and shook her head. She pointed at the volcano and then pointed at Sokka. Katara understood what the young woman was saying; her brother's fate was in the hands of Aang and Zuko.

The chief raised his arms in the air and everyone stopped their chanting. He began to chatter and gestured wildly to the volcano. Everyone repeated the chatter and suddenly the whole courtyard lit up. Drums began to beat and women began to dance. There was no flow in the dance; the movement was fast and jerky.

"What's going on?" Toph asked.

"The guys made it to the top."

"What now?"

Katara let out a heavy sigh. "I don't know."

The ground began to rumble and everyone stopped dancing. Hundred of eyes stared at the top of the volcano as if they were waiting for something. Katara found herself staring nervously at the volcano and to her horror she did not see the two red flames. Black plumes erupted from the sides of the volcano and before she had a chance to cry out, two creatures emerge. She could not believe her eyes.

She was seeing the dragons, the firebending masters.

"What do you see?" Toph asked anxiously.

"The dragons," she answered sounding awe. "They're beautiful."

The creatures were indeed beautiful. She never had seen anything like them before. From where she was standing, she could make out the red and blue coloring. The blue dragon appeared smaller than the red dragon and she figured that the blue dragon was the female. The two dragons swirled around in a graceful matter that reminded her of a dance. They finished their dance and perched themselves on either side of the volcano. She let out a scream when the top of the volcano erupted into flames.

The Sun Warriors began to murmur and fell to their knees. The man that was watching over her brother removed the knife from his throat and pushed him to the ground. Sokka rubbed his throat as he coughed. He glared at the man that kept him hostage.

"I told you that we don't want your stupid gem!"

"Sokka!" Katara cried out and ran to her brother. She quickly stopped when he held out his hands.

"Where are your clothes?" he demanded.

She instantly covered herself. "They took it."

Toph cackled in delight. "I wish I can see your face, Snoozles!" she laughed. "It has to be priceless!"

A roar filled the air and everyone cleared the courtyard. The red dragon landed with a resounding thud and gently lowered his head. A huge smile graced her face when she saw Aang and Zuko slowly climbing down the dragon's head. The dragon let out a growl and took off, heading back to the volcano.

"Finally!" Sokka grumbled. "Took you two long enough! Do you know how long I have been kneeling with a knife to my throat?"

Zuko snapped his fingers and a large flame appeared. "Sorry to inconvenient you," he said in his raspy voice. Katara could hear the arrogant confidence in his voice. She smiled to herself. The banished prince was back to his usual self.

"It was great Sokka!" Aang exclaimed as he jumped up and down. "We saw the dragons and know the meaning of firebending!" He gave a pause. "I agree!"

Everyone glanced at each other before staring at Aang. It would take some time to get use to the young monk's one sided conversations with the Avatars. Sokka opened his mouth to say something but the chief interrupted him by chattering away. Aang returned the chattered and gave a big grin.

"Guess what?" he said happily. "Since the masters found us worthy, the Sun Warriors are holding a feast in our honor!"

"Wait," Toph said as she shook her head. "You can understand them?"

"It's ancient Fire Nation," Zuko answered. "I was forced to learn the language."

"Avatar Roku was fluent in ancient Fire Nation," Aang said.

"That's great," she said dryly. "Can you tell them that we need our clothes? I don't know about Sugar Queen but I'm getting cold!"

Zuko's face went red and began chattering away to the chief. The man listened to the request and then quickly nodded. He clapped his hands and the young woman appeared. He quickly chattered to the woman and she gave a huge smile. She grabbed the girls' hands and dragged them away.

* * * *

_I never thought I could be so happy wearing this again!_ Katara thought happily as she adjusted the skirt on her Fire Nation outfit. She always loved the Fire Nation clothing. The material was light and it was easy to move in, especially when she bends. She felt like she was truly part of her element.

In the past, she thought that lesser the clothing the more fluid she became when she waterbends. After standing around wearing nothing but a loincloth for a day, she can safely say that her theory was completely stupid.

"Clothes!" Toph cried out and fingered the cotton material. "I missed you so much! Never leave me again!" She wrinkled her nose at the waterbender when she heard a chuckle. "What's so funny?"

"You sound like Sokka."

She wrinkled her nose more but then burst out laughing. The laughter was infectious and soon Katara could not help but laugh. The two held their sides as tears ran down their faces. They stopped laughing when they heard someone cleared their throat. The waterbender turned around and saw the young woman standing next to them with a perplex look on her face. The woman shook her head and motioned them to follow her.

Toph tugged on Katara's arm. "Party time?"

"It appears so."

The two happily followed the young woman back to the courtyard. During the walk the woman chattered away as she pointed at certain structures and buildings. At one point she gave Katara a big smile.

Toph glanced at Katara. "Doesn't she know that we don't understand her?"

"What else is she supposed to do?" Katara answered. "She's nervous, I'm sure that talking is calming her nerves."

"I guess."

"What's wrong?"

"It feels like she's _instructing_ you on something."

"What?"

"Before the guys went to see the dragons," Toph explained. "That woman said something to the chief. I don't know what it was about but Sparky's heart sped up."

Katara bit her lower lip. "Let's ask the guys when we see them."

The courtyard was brightly lit with torches. A large area of the courtyard was covered with various meats and fruits. Katara could feel the excitement from the Sun Warriors as she watched them moved around and greet each other. Some of the men were banging on the drums while the women danced. This time the movement flowed. She spotted the guys sitting next to the chief. It appeared that Aang was having a huge discussion with him.

"Katara!" Sokka shouted and ran to his sister. He engulfed her in a big hug. "I'm so glad that you have clothes on!" He raised his eyebrow. "Why did you wear that?"

"Toph and I had no choice," she said as she pushed her brother away. She walked to the feast. "We were ambushed."

"Ambushed?" Zuko asked as he scooted over so she could sit next to him. "How?"

"They blew a dart of some sort," Toph answered as she sat down next to Katara. "They caught me by surprise." She raised an eyebrow at the banished prince. "What happened to you guys?"

Zuko cleared his throat. "We found this room that held this gem," he explained slowly. He pointed his thumb at Sokka. "Genius over there decided to touch it."

"Hey!" Sokka said indigently. "At least something happened! You two were busy learning your new dance!"

"That _something_ ended up being some goo that was worse than glue!" Zuko snarled. "We were stuck for the whole night and then we were molested by some aardvark-sloths!"

"Kinky," Toph muttered as she picked up a piece of meat. Katara held back a snort as she tried to eat a piece of fruit. Sokka and Zuko frowned at them. "So," she said as she munched on the meat. "What was the chief saying to you?"

"He wanted us punished," Zuko said as he picked at the food. "Since he believed that we were going to steal the gem, he wanted us to be put to death."

"Why was I attack?" Katara asked.

Zuko and Sokka gave each other a glance before the banished prince cleared his throat. "The chief wanted to make a deal," he said slowly. His gaze was at the food. "The Avatar and I would go a see the dragons. If the dragons found us worthy, then we can leave. If the dragons found us unworthy, then you and Toph would become his concubines." He gave a pause. "If we didn't comply with the terms, then you will die."

Toph choked on a piece of meat. "What?"

"Thank the spirits that the dragons found you and Aang worthy," Katara whispered as she glanced at the young monk and the chief. The two were chattering away happily.

"Tell me about it," Sokka muttered. "I would've been dead."

There was an uneasy silence between the guys. Toph raised an eyebrow and glanced at the guys' general direction. "Is there something that you guys aren't telling us?"

Zuko's face became red while Sokka flinched. The Chief stood up and silenced the crowd. He began chattering and pointed at the waterbender and the banished prince. Zuko became silent as he tried to focus his attention on the piece of meat in his hands. Aang gave a broad smile at his friends.

"This is exciting," he exclaimed as he turned his attention to his friends.

"Exciting for you," Zuko mumbled. Sokka let out a grunt of disapproval.

"What's going on?" Katara asked.

"There's going to be a bonding ceremony," the young Avatar said in a big smile. "It's a pretty big deal."

She felt the color drain from her face. "A bonding ceremony?"

"Yeah," Aang said. "The spirits have made a connection."

_You have a strong connection with the child of the sun._

Spirit Mayet's words echoed through her head as she felt light headed. A hand reached out and grabbed her arm. She looked up and saw the concern look on Zuko's face. Her face instantly reddened and pushed away. "Oh no," she said as she tried to stand up. "I'm not getting married!"

Zuko's face went from confusion to shock. "Married?" he croaked. He glared at the Avatar. "You never said anything about getting married!"

Sokka looked like he was going to kill someone while Toph burst out laughing. Aang started to blush. "You're not getting married!" he stammered. "The bonding ceremony unifies the connection that the spirits have created." He took a deep breath. "You're not committed to the person."

Katara pointed at Zuko and then herself. "Why us?"

"Good question," Sokka muttered.

"Your scent," Aang simply said.

Katara felt her cheeks burning when she thought about what happened in the alley. _Is it possible that they could smell Zuko's scent on me?_

"One of the medicine women," he pointed at the young woman that helped her earlier, "said that she could smell the spirit on you and Zuko. I don't know what that means exactly but you have been chosen by spirit Mayet."

The Chief chattered something and the young monk quickly answered. "The ceremony is going to start. Just go with it. I promise nothing weird is going to happen."

"Yeah right," Katara mumbled under her breath. "Weird things _always_ happen."

"Oh by the way," Aang said really quickly. "There's going to be blood."

"What!?" the couple exclaimed.

Their cries did not carry over the chief's chatter. He grabbed Zuko's arm and pulled him up to his feet. The firebender gave the man a dirty look and pulled his arm out of the grasp. The chief continued his chatter and produced a knife. Before Katara had a chance to run away, the leader took her hand and ran the blade across her palm. She swallowed a hiss as she watched a thin red line appearing on her palm. The Chief dropped her hand grabbed Zuko's. She heard the sharp intake of breath and she knew that Zuko went through the same procedure. The chief took their hands and pressed them together.

Katara held back the disgust as she watched her blood mixed with Zuko's. She thought that holding bloody hands could not be healthy. The chief chanted something and suddenly she felt very lightheaded.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

She was not expecting to see sparkling emerald eyes when she opened them again.

"Hello child of the moon," Mayet said with a smile.

Katara let out a gasp and looked around. She was still in the courtyard but it was completely empty. "What's going on?"

"The Sun Warriors are very spiritual people," Mayet explained as she walked around the empty courtyard. "I'm not surprise that they saw the connection between you and the child of the sun."

"There's no connection between us," Katara replied. "They only smelled our scents because of what happened in the alley."

Mayet gave her a knowing smile. "Do you see your destiny yet?"

"I know that my destiny is to make sure that Zuko becomes Fire Lord."

An elegant eyebrow rose. "Is that all?"

Katara narrowed her eyes. "Do you know something?"

"I know everything," Mayet answered. "I know that you care for him."

"Of course I do!" she scoffed. "He's my friend!"

"Is he?"

She paused at the question. _Do I see him as a friend?_ "Yes."

Her answer sounded unsure.

Mayet did not look impressed with the answer. "Continue to protect the child of the sun," she said instead. "At the same time, think about your previous feelings. Think about every little detail of your previous past, no matter how insignificant it is. Then you will understand your destiny."

Katara felt sleepy. "I don't understand."

"Good bye, child of the moon," the spirit said softly. She gently touched the waterbender's cheek. "Remember that your memories are the stepping stones of your destiny."

Katara closed her eyes at the touch. The soft hand continued to stroke her cheek and it gave her a strange feeling of peace. The hand suddenly felt rough and calloused but it was still gently touching her cheek. She wrinkled her brow at the sensation.

"Katara," a raspy voice said softly. "Katara, please wake up."

She opened her eyes and she found herself looking into warm amber eyes that were filled with concern. She blinked her eyes and a frown appeared on her face. "What happened?"

Relief flooded on Zuko's face. "You passed out."

She felt her cheeks heating up. "I passed out?" She struggled to sit up.

"Yes," he replied as he gently helped her. "I guess you're one of those people that pass out at the sight of their own blood."

She noticed that Zuko's left hand was wrapped in a white linen cloth. She looked down her at hands and saw that her left hand was also wrapped. It took a few seconds for her to remember the bonding ceremony and her conversation with spirit Mayet.

_That was a dream, right?_

"Katara!" Sokka shouted. Relief was heard in his voice. "Thank the spirits that you're okay!"

She gave her brother a shaky smile. "I'm fine Sokka."

"Are you sure?" He glared at the firebender. "Why do you keep touching my sister?"

"Chill Snoozles," Toph said with a huge smile. "Just be glad that Sparky caught her when she blacked out."

"Stupid ceremony," Sokka muttered and crossed his arms. "Stupid Sun Warriors. Stupid dragons." He kicked the ground. "Stupid gem."

"Where's Aang?" Katara asked as she ignored her brother. She was not in the mood to hear Sokka complain about everything.

"Twinkles is talking to the Chief," Toph answered. "He wasn't happy about you passing out." She gave a small frown. "You scared everyone."

"I want to get out of here," Katara whispered and slowly went to her feet. "I don't want to stay here anymore."

Toph let out a laugh. "That's the best idea I heard all day!"

"I'm three steps ahead of you, Sis!" Sokka replied. "Appa is ready to go and the tribe gave us some food that would last us for a while."

"Where would we go?" Katara asked.

"The Western Air Temple!" he answered in glee. "It's not too far from here and Aang would be able to train without having the Fire Nation breathing down our necks!"

* * * *

The moon was high when the gang arrived at the Western Air Temple. Appa landed with an ungraceful thud and let out an exhausted groan. Everyone rolled off from the beast's back and removed the heavy saddle. Appa moaned happily, rolled on to his side and quickly fell asleep. Katara felt herself giving the animal a dirty look before grabbing her bedroll and blindly moved to the center of the large room.

"Let's worry about the supplies tomorrow," she yawned. She gave her bedroll a quick flip. "I want to sleep."

"Sounds good to me," Toph answered and stomped her foot. A stone tent appeared from the ground. "See you in the morning!" Snorts of laughter were heard when the earthbender crawled into her tent.

Sokka let out a yawn. "Either I'm very tired or I didn't find that very funny."

"I'm going with both," Zuko mumbled as he flop onto his bedroll. The action was very un-prince-like in Katara's mind.

"We can explore tomorrow," Aang replied sleepily. "The bedchambers are nearby, the hot baths are not too far from here, and there's a really cool echo chamber."

Sokka stuck his hand in the air and gave a thumb up. "Sounds good buddy," he mumbled into the bedroll. "But sleep first."

The room went quiet except for the sounds of deep sleep. Katara laid on her bedroll and listen to the sounds. She found them comforting and it made her forget about the silence she endured when she travelled alone after the war. She slowly closed her eyes and let the sleep consumed her.

For the first time since the war, she slept peacefully.


	8. Chapter 8

**Yeah, another chapter! Augh, annoyed that all my page breaks are gone! Sorry this took so long but don't worry this story will be done. Thanks for the patience and enjoy this chapter!**

**Enjoy & Review**

**Disclaimer: Do Not Own.**

* * *

Weeks went by at the Western Air Temple. There was no threat from the Fire Nation or any other enemy that the gang came upon in the past. The days were filled with intense training, preparing meals, and some camaraderie.

Katara's own time was constantly busy. Not because she had to prepare herself for the comet but because she did not want her memories haunting her. Every time she paused for a break, an old memory would creep into her mind and then she would be stuck in a past that she would rather forget. She almost had a panic attack when she walked by the balcony where Zuko appeared for the first time begging for forgiveness. Aang saw her distress and guided her away from the balcony, reassuring her that nothing bad was going to happen.

She was not the only one that has been acting peculiar since they arrived at the temple. Zuko have been avoiding her. The only time she would spend time with him is when everyone was together for their meal. She convinced herself that the banished prince regretted what happen in the alley at the village and he was probably disgusted that he was spiritually bonded to her. She tried confronting him but the firebender managed to disappear before she even has a chance to talk him.

"Everything okay, Sweetness?" Toph asked, breaking her thoughts. "You seem angry."

"I'm fine," Katara answered as she angrily scooped the rice into a bowl. "I'm just thinking."

"Okay," the blind earthbender replied uneasily. She cocked her to the side and gave a frown. "I think Twinkle Toes is coming."

Aang stumbled into the courtyard looking rather pale. He gave everyone a half-hearted greeting and grumbled when his bowl full of rice was handed to him. Katara was concerned over her friend's attitude. The airbender was always a morning person. Always up before everyone else including Zuko. Always ready for his morning training. Always greeted the group with a jubilant smile.

"Aang," Katara asked with worry, "are you feeling well?"

The young Avatar gave a sigh and forced a smile on his face. "I'm fine."

Toph snorted. "Liar."

"I can tell you're not fine and I'm not Toph!" Sokka interjected.

Aang glared at everyone. "I said, _I'm fine_." He gave a huge yawn. "I'm just tired."

"Is Jerkbender working you too hard?"

"I wish you and Zuko get along," Katara snapped.

"Hey," Sokka said defensively. "That jerk has been stalking us all over the world and now you want me to be nice to him." He cut her off. "I don't care if he was the good guy from your past. He's still the enemy."

"I agree with Katara, Sokka," Aang replied with a yawn. "Zuko has proven himself to us. He helped us find the dragons."

"Which he needed so he could jerkbend."

"He did the bonding ceremony."

"Which I'm still trying to understand why there was a ceremony."

"Katara trusts him."

"Which he has a nasty habit of touching her."

"Sokka," Katara warned. "Please stop."

"As much as I love to hear Snoozles rant," Toph answered as she spread her toes on the ground. "Where's Sparky?"

Katara glanced around the courtyard and realized that the banished prince was not with them. He always joined the group after he finished training Aang in the morning. She glanced at the position of the sun and noticed that it was early.

"Aren't you supposed to be training, Aang?" she asked.

Aang swallowed a spoonful of rice before answering. "Zuko told me that there was no training today. He didn't look well."

"I hope he doesn't get everyone sick."

Toph was thoughtful for a minute. "When is the eclipse?"

"Today," Sokka answered as he poked the contents in his bowl. He curled his nose in distaste. "It should be happening in the next few hours."

"Sweetness," Toph continued with her thought. "What happens to you during a lunar eclipse?"

Katara did not like how this conversation was going. "I don't feel the pull of the water," she answered. "It's an odd feeling." She raised an eyebrow. "What are you getting at?"

"Twinkles, where does fire come from?"

Aang closed his eyes for a second. His lips began to move and his brow wrinkled. "The fire avatars told me that fire comes from the heart," he answered when he opened his eyes.

"Okay," Toph said slowly, "so fire is not something that is available like earth, water, or air."

"But fire and the sun are related," Sokka interjected. "And firebenders are not the strongest during the night." He gave a dopey smile. "We've learned that during the invasion of the North Pole."

"So what happens to a firebender during a solar eclipse?"

The courtyard went silent. Dread began to form in Katara as she thought about the question. She glanced at Aang and saw that her friend had his eyes closed, murmuring to himself. She knew that he was talking to the previous avatars about the solar eclipse. Sokka sat in his spot as he scratched his head while Toph looked completely uneasy.

Aang finally opened his eyes. "A firebender cannot bend during a solar eclipse," he explained slowly. "They become weak. The stronger the firebender, the more dangerous the solar eclipse becomes."

"Aang," Katara whispered in fear, "what happens to a strong firebender?" Something told her that she already knew the answer.

He let out a heavy sigh. "Avatar Roku experienced the solar eclipse and he told me that he became very cold." He paused for a second to collect his thoughts. "He said that it felt like he was getting hypothermia even though it was the middle of summer."

It was the answer that she was dreading. She quickly went to her feet and ran to Zuko's room. She banged on his door until he opened it. She held back the gasp when she saw him. The firebender was pale, making his red outfit clash horribly on his skin. His amber eyes were listless and he winced as he tried to snarl at her.

"Leave me alone," he said in a dry raspy voice. "I need to rest."

"Zuko," Katara reasoned as she tried to go in his room. "The solar eclipse is going to start in a few hours."

He let out a dry laugh that ended in a cough. "I know," he answered dryly. "I can feel the effects."

"Let me help you."

"I want you to leave."

"Please."

Zuko stared at her for a few minutes and let out a weary sigh. He pushed the door opened and weakly waved her in. Katara stepped into his room and looked around. Just like the other rooms in the temple, it only had a bed mat. The small window off to the right side of the room gave a very little breeze. She noticed that the corner of the room had a small fire burning. She figured that Zuko was trying to get warm.

"Geez, you look like shit," Sokka said casually as he walked into the room. Zuko managed to growl at the water tribe warrior.

"Sokka," Katara warned icily as she checked the contents on the bed mat. Only his bedroll covered the mat. "Stop it."

"I feel heat," Toph commented as she followed Sokka. "Is there a fire in here?"

"Does everyone have to comment about my condition?" Zuko snapped. His arms wrapped around his chest as a noticeable shiver raked over his body. He moved to the fire. "Can you keep the door close?" He glared at Sokka. "Or are doors considered a luxury expense for you peasants?"

Sokka was about to lunge at the banished prince but Katara stepped between them. "Grow up you two!" she snapped. She missed the friendship between the two boys. "We have a situation here and Zuko needs his strength." She glanced at Zuko. "What are you supposed to do?"

Zuko gave Sokka a dirty look before answering the waterbender. "The Fire Nation have always been preparing for the solar eclipse," he answered. "What I need to do is to stay warm."

"What about Aang?" Katara asked.

Zuko let out a hum as he think. She remembered him doing that while they were making their plans to find her mother's killer. The sound instantly calmed her. "The Avatar is an airbender, so he should be fine. He may create fire like a firebender but he wasn't born a firebender."

"Maybe we should place Aang in a warm room. Just to be safe," Sokka suggested. "We could put him in here."

"Sorry Snoozles," Toph commented. "Twinkles went back to his room after you left the courtyard. From what I felt, he has no intention of leaving his room."

"Then we move Jerkbender."

"Absolutely not," Zuko answered. "I'm not leaving this room!"

Katara growled in frustration. The solar eclipse was not supposed to be this difficult. "Sokka," she said, "make a fire in Aang's room and make sure that he has something to keep him hydrated."

"Alright," Sokka answered and quickly left the room.

She glanced at the firebender. "Stay here," she ordered and walked out. She headed back to the courtyard and filled a large bowl of water. Toph was right behind her, studying her movements.

"What do you want me to do Sweetness?"

"I need you to be with Aang," she answered.

"Alright," Toph replied, "what about you?"

"I'm going to be with Zuko."

The earthbender stopped walking. "Whoa, what?" She rubbed her forehead. "Why are you going to be in his room?"

"The solar eclipse is going to be dangerous to Zuko," she answered. "If something happens, he's going to need a healer."

"What about Aang? He's the Avatar!"

She thought back to what spirit Mayet said in the forest after Iroh's funeral. "He'll be fine." She forced a smile on her face. "Aang's an airbender. The solar eclipse should have little effect on him." She began walking back to the room. "Zuko is more in danger."

"What makes him so special?" Toph yelled as she followed the waterbender. "Why are you so concern about him?" She stopped walking. Realization spread on her face. "That awful thing that happened in your past," she said slowly, "he died, didn't he."

Katara froze in her spot. Her hands began to shake and the water sloshed around in the bowl. "Yes."

"How did he die?"

She closed her eyes. "Toph, please."

"He has a right to know," the earthbender pressed on.

"Toph, not now," she begged. "I need to go to Zuko."

Toph let out a frustrated growl and crossed her arms. "Fine," she snapped. "But you need to tell him before he figures it out."

* * *

Zuko became weaker as the solar eclipse approached. His body began to shake violently and he was forced to lie down on the bed mat. His ivory skin started to have a grey hue and it was cool to the touch. He could not bend anymore and Katara had to feed the fire herself.

"This is stupid," he coughed. "I just got my bending back and I lose it to a solar eclipse?"

"Calm down," Katara said as she moved to the bed mat. "You need to save your strength."

"I'm not an invalid!" Zuko croaked. He buried himself deeper in his bedroll as another attack of shivers hit him.

Her fingers gently brushed the ebony locks away from his forehead. His amber eyes were dull and full of remorse and sadness. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For causing you pain."

She pulled her fingers away from his hair. "That was in the past."

"Yet it still bothers you." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "At the market, you said what we had was complicated. What did you mean by that?"

"You betrayed me in Ba Sing Se," she answered softly. Her eyes found the water bowl interesting. "You joined Azula and she almost killed Aang."

She heard him suck in his breath. "So you did hate me."

"No!" she exclaimed as she tore her eyes away from the bowl. "I didn't hate you! I was angry at you! You disgusted me!" Tears pricked her eyes. "I thought you've changed." The words tumbled out without even thinking. "When you did join us, I wanted to hate you! I accused you for everything!" Tears began streaking down her cheeks. "You went out of your way to find my mother's killer! And then you …" She stopped rambling.

"Then what?" Zuko pressed on while he shivered.

"Nothing," she replied in a flat tone. "It was in the past."

It looked like Zuko wanted to say something but he instantly froze. His body began to shake, starting out slowly but quickly intensifying. White fingers gripped onto the blanket as his breath became shallow. "It's starting," he said through clenched teeth. "The solar eclipse is starting."

She stared at him with wide, fearful eyes. She never seen or experienced anything like this before. She faintly wondered if the firebender went through this in the past. "I need to get you warmer," she said when she saw his lips turned to a scary blue. Her hands went straight to his tunic and began tugging it off. "Body heat," she explained when she saw the panicked look in his amber eyes. "We need to exchange body heat."

"I'm fine!" Zuko choked out. The look of dread and panic was apparent on his face.

Katara ignored him and began taking off her clothes. Once she was in her bindings, she slid into the bedroll and placed her body right up against his. Zuko tried to pull away but his efforts were weak. She draped her arm around his waist and held him tight. She felt every shiver that was attacking his body. He was still for a second but soon he began to melt to her body. She buried her head deeper in his chest when his arm wrapped around her. His hand was resting gently on her lower back. She could not help but lightly trace a finger along his chest where the scar was supposed to be.

As minutes went by, she felt his body getting colder. His grip became tighter as he buried his head into her shoulder. She suppressed a shiver as she felt his cold breath hitting her shoulder. His breathing was harsh as if he ran for miles.

"Zuko, are you okay?"

"Just cold," he mumbled into her shoulder.

"It'll be over soon," she said lightly.

He nodded his head and clutched onto her body. "I'm sorry," he murmured.

She let out a heavy sigh. "What are you apologizing now?"

"I've been avoiding you."

She shrugged. "I haven't noticed."

He snorted. "You're a lousy liar."

Katara wrinkled her nose. "So I've heard." She paused for a second. "Why have you been avoiding me?" She braced for the answer.

Zuko was silent. He gently lifted his head out of her shoulder. "The alley."

She knew her face went red. "Are you regretting it?"

"Never," he said defiantly. "I do not regret it. That's why I'm avoiding you."

That was not the answer she was expecting. She pulled away and stared at him. "What?"

A hint of red appeared on the good side of his face. "Forget about it," he said.

"Oh no," she challenged. "You don't say that without any explanation!"

"Just drop it."

"No!"

"Just leave it alone, _Katara_," he threatened. The threat was weak because he was shivering. "Why do you have to be so stubborn?"

"You're being stubborn!"

Even being cold and deprived from bending, Zuko looked exasperated. He pinched the bridge of his nose and mumbled something under his breath. She was sure that _crazy waterbender_ was used. He looked at her again and gave a heavy sigh. "Fuck it," he mumbled.

She never had the chance to question his comment because his lips crashed onto hers. Her eyes went wide at the action but quickly closed. The kiss was different than the one in the alley. His lips were cool and they moved slowly, hesitantly. The movement was too slow for her so she deepened the kiss. Her fingers went into his hair pulling him closer to her body. He tried to match the pace but the solar eclipse still made him weak. She took advantage of his weakness.

There was no need to tell her that the solar eclipse was ending. His arms were tightening around her body, his body was starting to warm up, and he was taking control of the kiss. She let him slip his tongue into her mouth and she could not hold back the satisfying moan. She was rolled onto her back with him on top of her. Her legs instantly wrapped around him when he slowly grinded his clothed body into her bindings. She became sweaty and she did not know if the heat came from the firebender that was hovering over her or that a firebender was hovering over her.

Zuko quickly moved away from her and went to his knees. "That's why I was avoiding you," he panted. The heat was still evident in his eyes.

"Huh?" She gasped dumbly, still trying to figure out how she could get the heat back.

"It would be dishonorable."

"Huh?" She repeated, feeling stupid. She knew she could come up with a coherent sentence.

"I shouldn't take advantage of a maiden."

"What?" She stared at him as she tried to catch her breath. She wanted the firebender to kiss her again. It took a few seconds for her to understand what he said. "What happens if I want to?"

Something flashed in his eyes. "I can't."

"Because I'm a maiden," she said softly, feeling relieved, flattered, and oddly frustrated.

He raised his good eyebrow. "What else could it be?"

"Because I'm Water Tribe," she said with a wave of her hand. "Friend of the Avatar. A master waterbender." She gave him a look. "I can go on."

"Something tells me that you do," he smirked. It quickly faded and the usual stoic face returned. "I've made a lot of bad decisions. Let me make this the right decision."

Katara looked away. Zuko had a point. They were in war. They do not have the time to express their feelings. Besides, she should be protecting the firebender not letting broken feelings take over. Plus she needed to understand what was going on with her. She avoided Zuko in the past but he became her friend and died for her. His death changed her. It made her feel empty inside and despised everything around her. At one point she wanted to die, so there will be balance.

"I understand."

Zuko moved closer to her. He gently cupped her cheek and his thumb glided under her eye. She was shock that she felt wetness. She did not know she was crying. He surprised her by giving her a chaste kiss.

"I don't want to dishonor you," he whispered, his lips brushing against hers. He kissed her again.

Fingers curled into his hair as she let him deepen the kiss. Her mind screamed at her that she was supposed to be protecting the firebender not kissing him. Her heart told her that she was doing the right thing. She just wished what it meant.

* * *

Katara hummed to herself as she continued to wash the clothes. She moved her fingers over the water, making it churn and swirl before stilling the water to let the items soak. From the distance she could hear Toph yelling at Aang about something during their training. Sokka was either asleep or planning the next invasion.

Another peaceful week has passed since the solar eclipse. She should feel happy that this time everything was moving the way it was suppose to be but something was making her agitated. It felt like everything was moving too smoothly. She could not help but feel uneasy.

"This is the third time you washed clothes this week." A warm breath brushed across her ear. She did not bother suppressing a shiver.

There are no words to describe the relationship between her and the firebender. She did not want to call it a relationship because she feared that it would distract her from protecting him. But there was something between the two. Every time the two had a chance to be alone, a kiss was stolen or a hand caressing another hand. She pushed all her fears aside when she was alone with Zuko. He calmed her.

"I have to keep busy," she replied and glanced at the firebender. A frowned appeared on her face when she saw Zuko was not paying attention. "What's wrong?"

"Listen."

She strained her ears. The temple was quiet. "I don't hear anything."

"That's the problem."

She followed his gaze to an empty ledge that was near the fountain. The ledge looked vaguely familiar. She glanced at the fountain where the clothes have been soaking. The fountain looked familiar. She let her eyes move around the chamber. Everything about the chamber looked familiar. Her eyes returned to the ledge. A memory quickly assaulted her.

_A man, tall and muscular, was staring at them on the ledge. He narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath. The air cackled around them and before anyone had a chance to defend themselves, Zuko swung in the air and knocked the man off balance._

"Move!" Zuko shouted and pulled Katara away.

She heard a low hum of energy before the fountain exploded into small pieces. She rolled with Zuko for a couple of feet until they stop with him lying on top of her. His body protected her from the falling debris. He cradled her head into his neck. The silence returned to the chamber.

"Combustion Man," she breathed, her fingers dug into his back.

"What?"

"Nothing," she said quickly. "Can you see him?"

"No," Zuko replied as he squinted through the dust. "Too much dust."

"We need to get out of here."

Zuko looked around before rolling off from her. He tilted his head to the nearest exit and began to crawl. She crawled right behind him, stopping every now and then when debris fell from the ceiling. They were almost near the exit when someone shouted.

"Look out!"

Zuko pulled her flushed against his body and angled himself for the next attack. A shadow flew over her head. She looked over his shoulder and saw a boulder flying through the air. Combustion Man was able to attack before moving out of the way. The aim was off but Katara let out a shriek when the clay tiles near her head exploded. She heard Sokka yelling and Zuko nudged her to move. Aang, Toph, and Sokka were waiting for them when they reached the corridor. Aang managed to give a bright smile while he held a large boulder in front of him.

"We need to get out of here!" Sokka yelled as he clutched his boomerang. "That guy is throwing explosives us!"

"He uses his mind," Katara said. She fought the urge to smack her forehead when everyone gave her a blank look. "I've dealt with him before. Somehow he can make things explode with his mind."

"Who is he?" Toph asked. Her fingers were spread across the floor. "I can tell the man is big but he moves very fast."

"A hunter," Zuko answered as he peered into the chamber. "I'm going to take a wild guess and say that Azula hired him."

Aang let out a gasp and the entrance of the corridor became a solid wall. "Appa is at the other side of the temple," he said through gritted teeth as he struggled to keep the wall up. "We need to move now!"

"How?" Toph asked. "I can't see where he's aiming!"

Katara looked around. The temple walls were shaking from the explosive attacks from Combustion Man. It would be a matter of minutes before this section of the temple would collapse. She remembered what Zuko did when Azula attacked the temple and quickly went to her feet. Everyone looked at her with confusion.

"Go to Appa," she said as she flexed her fingers.

Zuko raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

"Go to Appa," she repeated. "Meet me at the balcony on the eastern side."

Sokka did not look convinced. "You're going to do something stupid."

Aang looked like he was going to protest but she cut him off. "We don't have time," she snapped. "I'll see you in a few minutes."

She ran down the corridor before anyone had a chance to argue. She skidded into another chamber and pulled water out of a small fountain. The tendril of water snaked around her body while she waited for Combustion Man. She felt the electricity in the air and she threw the water at her intended target. The water arched through the air before freezing and splintering into tiny pieces. The tiny darts rained on Combustion Man. An icicle slashed his cheek and eyes narrowed at her.

"Come and get me," she snarled. More water danced around her as she taunted the hunter.

Combustion man took a deep breath and nodded his head. Katara turned on her heels and began to run. The water went to the floor and instantly froze. She ran down the corridor, taking shortcuts that she remembered as she headed to the balcony on the eastern side. She prayed that the rest of the gang found Appa and was waiting for her.

She ducked when the ceiling exploded above her, causing her to take a different route. She could feel the air pulse with electricity as Combustion Man ran after her. She was fast but he was faster and it would be a matter of minutes before he would be able to catch her. She quickly turned into another corridor and smiled when she saw the balcony. A fuzzy white dot appeared and she pushed herself to run faster. She could feel the pounding footsteps behind her.

_Just a few more feet._ Zuko and Sokka were leaning over the saddle with their arms extended.

There was an explosion and the floor under her feet was gone. She saw the horrified looks on her friends' faces. She heard someone yelled out her name before the rushing sound of air. The white fur of Appa quickly turned into the open blue sky. She was weightless.

She was falling.


End file.
